Dragons of Chivalry
by Fudogg
Summary: In medieval times, aspiring Dragon Knight Jacob Long is given an important task: capture a feared dragon slayer. Rated T to be safe. I don't own American Dragon.
1. Chapter 1

Dragons of Chivalry

**A/N: Well, here it is for those of you who care: My first new story of 2010. This story is a little similar to Toph the blind warrior's story "Renaissance Dragon" in the sense that it takes place around the same time period and that it's a love story. So, I just want to make it clear that I am in no way trying to copy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own American Dragon.**

Prologue (Part One): The Story of Thorn

Everyone knows the stories about princesses being locked in towers with big, vicious dragons guarding them; keeping them inside. In reality, those stories were completely untrue, made up in order to entertain young children. In reality, there was only one princess who was locked in a tower, and she was not even a princess. She was actually a murderer, a murderer of dragons. No one knew what her actual name was, but the name she was known by was enough to send shivers of fear down the scaly backs of all dragon. She was known as Thorn.

But did any dragon know her side of the story? In reality, Thorn was a neglected and abused girl, only thirteen years of age and she was all alone, locked in the tower by a man who claimed to have saved her from living in the streets and dying from the plague as an infant after her parents died shortly after her birth. For almost her entire life thus far, the man, known only to Thorn as "Master", kept her locked in the tower, forcing her to kill any dragon that came close to her tower window in order to earn her meals. Her master had told her that the reason he kept her locked up was to make it easier for her to make her kill. Of course, this was a lie in more way than one; for one, her master only wanted Thorn out of his way, and second, it would not make it easier for her to slay dragons. In fact, Thorn had almost starved at the beginning; it had taken four days for a dragon to fly by. And then, it wasn't until about the fifth dragon that Thorn had managed to slay until the other dragons realized that something was going on inside her tower. Then, more dragons had come, and Thorn had slain them all, earning just enough food to stay alive. And of course, her master had taught her everything about dragons, such as how disgusting, unnatural and evil they all were.

If Thorn had any actual ill-feeling toward dragons, no dragon would know, nor would they care. They would not care that in reality, Thorn was not actually her real name. Her real name was Rose, and she was miserable with her life and was lonely. But...she had to do what she had to do in order to survive...

END PART ONE OF PROLOGUE

**A/N: So, what do you think? Basically, this is just an idea, and I'd like to know what you think. Do you think it's good enough and original enough to continue? By all means, tell me if you don't like it or it isn't original. I won't hesitate to take it down.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, here it is: the second part of the prologue.**

Dragons of Chivalry

Prologue (Part Two): Dragon Squire Jacob Long

Dragons had been dropping like flies, thanks to the work of Thorn. The three Dragon Lords, Lord Andam, Lord Kulde and Lord Chang did not know how they would be able to put a stop to the heinous acts Thorn was committing. After a long discussion, the lords realized that there was only one way to put an end to the murderer once and for all: she had to be captured and brought to trial. Knights held the virtues of mercy, justice and generosity, and Dragon Knights were no different. They would not just kill the murderer on the spot. She had to be given a fair trial...

At that same time, thirteen year old Dragon Jacob Long had just mastered his powers. Naturally, that meant that he had to begin serving a Dragon Knight and learn from the knight he served. Although the lords were not pleased, Jacob's aging grandfather, Knight Lao-Shi insisted that his grandson serve under him. Jacob had proven himself to be a very powerful and trustworthy Squire in the few months that he had served his grandfather. Although he made careless mistakes, Squire Jacob had always managed to fix his mistakes and make them right.

It was brought to the attention of the lords that Squire Jacob had been able to defeat an army of vicious dragon challengers in a jousting and sword tournament. When the lords heard of this, the lords were very impressed. After thinking it over, the lords decided that there was only one more thing Squire Jacob could do in order to be dubbed as a Dragon Knight...

END PROLOGUE PART TWO

**A/N (Again): Well, once again, it's very short. The next chapter will be a little bit longer and will actually start the story. This is just some insight on the two main characters of this story. Once again, if you feel that this is unoriginal, tell me, and I will take it down. Otherwise, please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well, here it is: the first actual chapter. But first, I'd like to answer the question that Luiz4200 had. I said it in the first part of the prologue: Thorn's master wants her out of his way. Also, story purposes would be a good reason in my book.**

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter One: Mission

Big, heavy doors were pushed open as a boy of thirteen entered the room where the Dragon Lords were sitting, closely followed by an older man. The boy wore simple red clothing, while the older man wore armor over simple blue clothing. The boy had spiky black hair, with an unknown green substance in it. The older man had a white beard and sideburns; the older man was mostly bald, but he did have some white hair; the older knight was also quite short. The boy walked passed his master and stooped where the lords were sitting, kneeling before them.

"You may rise, Squire Long..." Lord Andam instructed, and the Squire did as he was told. "It has been brought to our attention that you are a very powerful dragon..."

"It has?" Squire Long asked, a smile appearing on his face, but he soon realized that he had spoken out of turn, and he lowered his head. "I mean...thank you, my lords..."

"You should be proud, Squire..." Lord Kulde added.

"Yes..." Lord Andam continued. "That is why we wish to assign you a very important quest..."

"This quest is very dangerous..." Lord Chang added. "If you do not think you are up to it, do not be afraid to tell us. Then, we will assign a more capable dragon this important quest..."

Squire Long scowled. He knew that Lord Chang was just trying to get him to back out. Fortunately, Lord Andam also seemed to pick up on this, for he spoke: "If you were to accept this mission, and if you were to succeed, you would officially be made a Dragon Knight. What say you?"

Lord Kulde added: "We will be more than willing to give you some time to think our offer..."

"No!" Squire Long boasted proudly. "I'll do it; it'll be my honor, my lords."

"Excellent..." Lord Andam smiled. "Then your mission is this: Have you heard of the dragon slayer Thorn?"

"Yes."

"Your mission is to find her..." Lord Andam instructed. "And once you find her, you are to capture her, not slay her. You are to capture her, and bring her here alive for trial."

"Yes, my lords..." Jake immediately replied. "How much time will I have?"

"As much time as you need..." Lord Kulde replied.

&*%

Not that much time had passed since Squire Long had accepted the quest, and now, he stood in the weapons room, picking up a sword from a table. "You will probably need that as well, young dragon..." Squire Long's master and grandfather, Lao-Shi, told him, picking up a shield and handing it to his grandson.

"I don't want to be weighed down, G!" the young Squire protested, but nonetheless, he took the shield before he grabbed a length of rope that was also on the table.

"Jacob, you cannot get cocky on this mission..." Lao-Shi told him. "This quest is essential to you being knighted. Do you want to remain a Squire for the rest of your life?"

"Of course not..." Jacob answered. "But I'm also going to have a dragon slayer that I'm going to need to control. I can't carry all this stuff and my prisoner as well!"

Lao-Shi fixed his grandson and student a glare. "As a Dragon Knight, you will need to balance more than one obstacle at one time. That is what I have been trying to teach you! What have I told you for the past few months?"

"Always obey your master..." Jacob replied.

"And what did you promise me on your very first day?"

"That I would always obey you..." Jacob answered. "No matter what your order was, I would always obey you. Whatever you say, whenever you say it is what I said..."

"Exactly..." Lao-Shi finished making his point. "So, are you going bring all of the equipment I tell you to?"

"Yes, master..." Jacob said. "I'll bring it all with me..."

&*%

Meanwhile, Thorn was lying on her back in her tower. Thorn only had one thing to clothe her body: a blood-red tunic with a matching pair of blood-red pants, and it irritated her skin as she touched the floor, staring up at the ceiling of the tower; Thorn couldn't help but hope for a way out of this tower.

From the ceiling, Thorn's attention fell to the purple dragon-shaped mark on her right palm and wrist. Her master had told her that this mark was what destined her to kill dragons, and after thirteen years of being told about destinies, Thorn couldn't help but believe it, even if she didn't like it.

Thorn suddenly gasped and rolled over onto her side, picking herself up as the door opened and her master stepped inside her tower, followed by two other men, both wearing the same blood-red tunic and pants that Thorn wore. "Thorn..." he spoke. "Where are the slain dragons?"

"There haven't been any master..." Thorn reported, standing up, bowing weakly in the process. "No dragons have come by. I was not able to slay any dragons, my master..."

Thorn's master just stared at her for a moment before he turned around grabbing onto the door knob. "Since you failed, Thorn..." he said. "You will not receive any food until you have slain ten dragons..."

"But Master..." Thorn tried to make an excuse for herself, taking a step toward him, but her master slammed the door shut, and Thorn could soon hear the sound of the door locking from outside.

As she heard footsteps leaving her in her tower, Thorn could hear her stomach growl, begging her for food. Sighing, Thorn sat down on the floor, putting her hand to her stomach. She had to slay ten dragons...That was going to take a miracle.

END CHAPTER

**A/N: What did you think? Please review. I'd be ever so grateful if I could get at least three reviews before I update again.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Dragons of Chivalry

**A/N: Before I begin, I have some questions to answer. To Luiz4200, Rose has slain just enough dragons to survive and the sheer desire to live gives her strength. To Dragon Wang, yes.**

Chapter Two: Thorn's Chance

Jacob grunted as he carried the great burden of all of the supplies that his grandfather and master had demanded he take all on his bare back. Jacob slowly made his way around the corner where he could see his grandfather, Lord Andam, Lord Kulde and Lord Chang standing before him. Jacob made his way over to them and kneeled in respect. "My Lords..." he said.

"You may stand, Squire Long..." Lord Andam told him, Jacob complying. "we wish you luck on your mission, Squire..."

"This will not be an easy task..." Lord Chang added. "You will need all of your training, and even then, your training may not even be enough to save you..."

"Have confidence, Chang..." Andam told her. "Squire Jacob has proven himself to be a very talented dragon. I'm certain he will pass this test..."

"Thank you, my Lord..." Jacob bowed his head.

It was now Lord Kulde's time to speak. "Just keep flying. You will know when you have found the huntress' lair. Once again, we wish you luck..."

&*%

Jacob mentally groaned. He had been flying for at least an hour, and he couldn't see any sign of Thorn's lair. Unfortunately, he didn't even know what Thorn's lair looked like. He had been told that he would know when he found her lair, but now he wasn't so sure.

It also didn't help that he had a bunch of weight on his back. Jacob knew that the rope he had packed would be handy, but a sword? A shield? Wouldn't his simple dragon powers suffice? This was just dead weight for him. He wished he could drop it and continue on. However, then his grandfather would not be happy.

&*%

In her tower, Thorn just stared up at the ceiling. There was a thought that just kept nipping at her brain. Was this it? Would she starve now that she couldn't even have one morsel of food until she had slain ten dragons? The slaying of ten dragon could take months, maybe even more than a year. Although she wanted to tell herself that she could do it, Thorn knew, deep down, that she was in trouble. There was no way in Hell that she would be able to pull off the slaying of ten dragons. Deep down, she knew that she was going to die before she even had the chance to slay three dragons.

&*%

Sweat was now pouring down Jacob's forehead, and it wasn't even that hot outside. It was the weight of the things he carried on his back. Jacob then realized that if he didn't take just a moment to take a break, he would fall right out of the sky.

Sighing, Jacob flared his wings and landed on the ground, dropping all his artillery onto the dirt road as he took a couple deep breaths, wiping his forehead. After a moment, Jacob decided to resume his journey. Slinging his bags over his shoulder, Jacob took off.

&*%

Thorn sighed as she heard her stomach grown, begging her for just a crumb of food. She knew that she just couldn't give up on trying. What if she could slay ten dragons? It was unlikely, but what if she could? And if she was going to starve, then at least she could go out trying. Thorn got up and crawled over to her window, where she kept a bow and arrows, and a sheathed dagger. Usually, she would use the arrow to lure the dragon to her tower, and she would then use the dagger to finish them off.

Tucking the dagger into the side of her pants, Thorn took an arrow and placed it into the bow, looking out the window. The tower was big enough for a dragon to fly in, and it was also big enough for Thorn to climb out of. Unfortunately, that would only lead to a fall of about sixty to seventy feet; a fall that would surely kill her. Not to mention that Thorn's master was very careful to not have anything in her room that could serve as a rope that could lower her to the ground.

Sure, Thorn had thought about jumping several times, but that was only at her most desperate times. She had always kept herself from committing the deed; from going passed the point of no return. She had always prevented herself from giving up, and it had done some good. After all, she was still alive, and she had earned enough food to stay alive. Thorn kept telling herself that that was a positive.

And here Thorn was again; looking out her window, waiting for a dragon to come so she could slay it. It could take a while, but she couldn't give up.

&*%

Thorn was not entirely sure just how long she had been waiting, but it surely had to have been several hours. All Thorn knew for sure was that she was exhausted, but even then, she refused to let herself fall asleep. Thorn wasn't sure if she would wake up if she fell asleep. It felt like she was that hungry...

Thorn almost felt like giving up; she was tired, she was hungry. She didn't have the energy to keep on looking. With a sigh, Thorn lowered her weapon and was just about to turn her back, but just before she did, something caught her eye.

"What is that?" Thorn asked herself.

It was small and dark at first, but it was getting closer, and when it was close enough to see fully, Thorn almost felt like screaming with joy. It was a dragon. She finally had her chance!

"One down, nine to go..." Thorn told herself, taking aim with her bow. Then, closing on eye, Thorn released the string, and the arrow went flying...

END CHAPTER

**A/N (Again): Well, there's Chapter 4. What did you think? Please tell me in a review. It would be great if I could get another three reviews before I update again. **


	5. Chapter 5

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Three: Dragon vs. Hunter

Jacob had been flying for only a couple more minutes after he had taken a quick break. It had felt good, but already, he was tired again. He almost wanted to take another break, but he could not allow himself to do that; as a result, he willed himself to keep flying. Jacob had only been flying for a couple of miles after his break when he caught sight of something quite far off in the distance. Jacob was not quite sure what it was, but he hoped it was the lair he had been looking for. Jacob decided that there was only one way to find out: he had to go find out for himself.

Flapping his wings even harder than he had been before, Jacob got closer and closer to what he had seen in the distance. However, just when he was getting close enough to completely make out what the object was, he froze as he heard a sound--a sound that made him feel like he was in danger. It sounded kind of like a shrill whistle, followed by a rippling sound.

Jacob knew the sound, he just couldn't put his claw on it. Due to this, Jacob looked out, looking toward the direction the noise was coming from. Then, Jacob saw it--it was coming fast, and Jacob now knew what it was. An arrow!

Thinking quickly, Jacob quickly swerved to the side, dodging the arrow as it whizzed by him. Completely shocked, and quite angry, Jacob looked toward the image several feet away from him, now fully realizing that it was in fact a tower. "Thorn..." Jacob growled, flapping his wings as he flew over to the tower.

Within about thirty seconds, Jacob had reached the tower, but he was rather surprised to see that even though he was quite high up in the air, he had not quite reached the sole window on the tower. Jacob flapped his wings as he ascended up and through the window. Passing through the window, Jacob lowered to the ground and he looked around. Nobody was inside.

"HIYAH!" Jacob suddenly jerked his head up to the ceiling as he heard a female's voice calling out from above him. After seeing a blur of blood-red clothing, Jacob grunted in pain as he felt the hunter land on top of him, Jacob's supplies dropping to the floor. Panicking, Jacob was reduced to trying to shake Thorn off of him instead of trying to reach for something to defend himself with.

As Jacob tried to thrown Thorn off of him, Thorn kept a tight hold on the dragon's scales with one hand, while she used her free hand to reach into her pants, pulling out the sheathed dagger; Thorn used her teeth to un-sheath her weapon. Aiming her dagger for the dragon's back, Thorn could almost feel her stomach give a thankful growl. This only giving her more of a motivation, Thorn started to bring the knife down, her grip tight, only to let out a yell of surprise as she was thrown off of the dragon's back, landing hard on her stomach as Jacob straightened.

Thorn groaned, slowly sitting up onto her knees. Thorn quickly eyed her dagger as well as the dragon's sword; Thorn quickly grabbed both, standing up as she quickly slid her dagger into her pants again as he clutched the sword tightly in her other hand. Her other hand now free, she brought it to the handle of the sword; now using both hands, Thorn turned around, ready to fight the dragon, only to see that the dragon was frozen is shock.

"You're Thorn?" the dragon asked, his eyes wide. "Really?"

"As a matter of fact, I am..." Thorn spat. "Now, fight me so I can slay you..."

"No..." the dragon continued. "...I kind of imagined you..."

"As a man?"

"No..." Jacob cut her off, shocked that she would think him sexist. "Older...I guess..." Even as he spoke, Jacob was trying to anticipate her skills. There was no denying the fact that the girl looked weak. There was no doubt about it: defeating her would be too easy.

"HIYAH!" Thorn shouted again, charging toward Jacob as fast as she could. As soon as Thorn was only a couple of inches away from Jacob, she swung the sword, however, her swing was very weak from Thorn's lack of nourishment. Jacob was easily able to dodge the blade as the heavy sword became too much for Thorn to lift. As the sword dropped to the floor, Jacob lifted off of his feet and slammed his tail into Thorn.

Thorn grunted as she slammed onto her back, right by the rest of Jacob's supplies. Thorn quickly rolled over and looked for something to defend herself with. The shield quickly caught her attention; picking it up, Thorn threw it at the dragon with all her might. Unfortunately for Thorn, it was not a powerful enough throw, and the dragon was able to grab onto the shield with both of his claws.

Thorn's eyes were now wide with fear. The battle had never gone on this long; in fact, there had never been a battle! She had always managed to get the drop on the dragon, plunging her dagger through their hearts. She had never encountered a dragon that had had a chance to fight back.

Now hyperventilating, Thorn rolled over, trying to find something to use to defend herself. Unfortunately, the only items she was able to find were a couple lengths of rope and a dagger. Thorn had nothing to defend herself with. Suddenly, Thorn could feel the dragon's tail wrapping around her ankle; the young huntress was dragged across the floor on her stomach before she was lifted upside-down to meet the dragon's gaze.

"To be perfectly honest..." Jacob grinned. "...I expected more from a slayer with such a feared reputation." Then, Jacob said something that made Thorn scowl. "Maybe if you focused a lot less on your lack of fighting skills and more on eating a little bit more, you could have defeated me...But then again, I doubt that..."

Thorn knew that the dragon was only gloating, but as he said these words, Thorn felt an emotion take hold of her body that she had never felt for any of the other dragons. It was the feeling of pure hatred.

END CHAPTER

**A/N: What did you think? Was it any good? was it exciting enough? Please review. Another three reviews would be awesome!**


	6. Chapter 6

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Four: Thorn the Prisoner

Jacob had kept Thorn dangling from his tail as he bent down to retrieve his weapons and other supplies. Then, he flew out the window, still holding Thorn by his tail. Thorn had shouted repeatedly for the dragon to let her go, although in her mind, Thorn silently begged not to be dropped. Thorn had no doubt in her mind that the dragon was going to kill her, and although she tried her best to hide it with her angry shouts, Thorn was frightened.

Finally, Jacob landed on a road, which was next to a forest. Thorn was relieved to feel her feet touch the solid ground again, but the fear returned when the dragon put his claws on her shoulder. "Walk over to that tree over there..." he ordered, using his other set of claws to point at a thin looking tree amidst a row of big, thick, towering threes that acted as somewhat of a fence for the forest.

Thorn did need to be told twice, although she did shoot her dragon captor as many glares as she could muster as he walked her over to the tree. After about ten steps, Thorn was standing in front of the tree, and her heart was pounding. What was the dragon going to do to her? Kill her, surely. This had to be it. He was going to kill her now. She just knew it!

That was why Thorn was surprised when the dragon simply said: "Turn around and sit down..."

"You mean..." Thorn looked up at the dragon. "You're...not...going to kill me?"

"I'm not going to kill you..." Jacob growled. "Although I'm sure you deserve it. No. I'm to deliver you to the Dragon Lords so you can stand trial for your crimes."

Thorn could feel her heart rising up to her throat. The Dragon Lords? Trial? Thorn now knew that being killed by this dragon would be an act of mercy. Her master had told her about the Dragon Lords. Any slayer they captured would be imprisoned for life, facing daily torture. Thorn didn't know if it was true or not, but she had no other word to go by.

"Sit down..." Jacob repeated, his patience growing thin. Thorn must have noticed this, for she quickly sat down, sitting against the tree. "Now put your hands behind the tree..." Jacob ordered, feeling the rope in his claws. Thorn almost immediately complied, and Jacob quickly went behind the tree, binding her hands behind the girl and the tree. As he finished wrapping the ropes around her now shaking wrists and he started to knot the ropes, Jacob decided to make her bonds tight, but bearable. He continuously thought about the kind of honor that came with being a Dragon Knight. He would not torture a prisoner, no matter how monstrous they were.

As soon as Thorn's hands were secure, Jake went back over the girl; bending down, he started to wrap more of his rope around her ankles. As he did so, he looked up to meet her gaze. The girl's face was pale, and she was shaking with fear. Still, Jacob ignored that are started tying the ropes as he spoke to her: "I'm going to go find some food. These are just insurance; you won't be going anywhere..."

Despite her fearful shaking, Thorn managed to give the dragon one final glare before stood up and walked into the forest.

&*%

Thorn had been sitting against the tree for several hours, and the dragon had still not come back. Thorn had spent the first hour or so alone trying to free herself from the ropes, but they held tight. She had tried to find a way to get her dagger out of her pants, but no matter how hard she pushed her back against the tree and no matter how hard she tried to move her bound hands to the side of the tree and to her dagger, she could not reach it. As much as Thorn did not want to admit it, the dragon was a superb knot tier.

However, that was how she spent her next several hours. Thinking. Had the dragon abandoned her? Had he left her to die? Had that whole "Take you to the Dragon Lords for trial" thing all been a lie? Had he just left her here, tied up and unable to defend herself on purpose so she would die? So that a vicious animal would come, and because she wouldn't be able to defend herself, she would be eaten or mauled to death? So that she wouldn't be able to get free and would starve to death?

Thorn stopped her trail of thought. Leaving her to starve would be low, even for the dragon that had basically used a dagger to cut to her bone when he made the comment about how she didn't feed herself properly.

That alone had made her hate the dragon, but now she hated the dragon even more than before. He had no idea who she was, no idea what it was like to be Thorn, no idea what it was like to be Rose. He had no idea how she would just stay awake many a night, unable to fall asleep because of her empty stomach growling, begging her for a morsel of food. He had no idea that every time she killed a dragon to survive, she felt like a piece inside of her had just died inside.

&*%

After hours of just sitting alone with her head down, lost in her thoughts, Thorn suddenly lifted her head up at the sound of a snapping twig. Jacob had returned, carrying a bunch of wood, and at least four squirrels and a bird of some sort. However, by that time, the sun had gone down, and the only light was the moon high in the sky.

Now, thorn sat still against her tree, watching as Jacob roasted a squirrel over the fire he had made, the smell of the roasted meat making its way to Thorn's nostrils. The smell was enough to make Thorn drool.

Jacob pulled the roasted squirrel from the fire and held the it in his claws. He gave it a moment to cool off before he bit into it, the meat pooling into his mouth. Thorn watched the dragon as he ate up half of the cooked animal, a longing look in her eyes, a droll starting to slide down her chin. After eating half of the animal, Jacob lowered it from his face and turned his gaze to his prisoner.

Thorn did not care about how utterly pathetic she must have looked to the dragon, all she cared about was the food. Her stomach was growling; it was so loud that she was surprised that the dragon and every creature in the wood could not hear it. The pang was also so powerful that Thorn almost wanted to cringe and clench her teeth in pain.

Jacob slowly got up to his feet and made his way over to Thorn. "You want some?" Jacob asked. Thorn didn't even have to think about that question; she quickly began to nod her head with such force that she knew that in about an hour or less, her head would be killing her. Jacob quickly dropped the squirrel in her lap before walking back to his fire.

As soon as the dragon had turned his back, Thorn allowed herself to dig in; she brought her legs up to her face and lowered her head, biting down on the cooked animal, feeling the meet spill into her mouth. Thorn chewed as quickly as she could, relishing the moment as the animal slid down her throat.

Unfortunately, the animal was gone not long after the cooked meat hit her lap, and now Thorn found that she was reduced to licking her pants for any meat juice that she had missed getting in her mouth.

However, that passed as well, and Thorn finally lifted her head, looking at the dragon sitting in front of his fire. As she watched him and found that her stomach pangs were ceasing, a thought hit her. Maybe...this dragon wasn't so bad?

END CHAPTER

**A/N: Well, that's Chapter Four (Six). What did you think? Please review. I'd really appreciate at least three reviews before I update again. **


	7. Chapter 7

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Five: Acting Civil

Thorn had somehow managed to fall asleep in her position against the tree. Thorn herself didn't know exactly how she managed to fall into slumber, but either way, she managed to. The next thing Thorn knew, she was being shaken by something. Slowly opening her eyes, Thorn could see something right in front of her, but her vision was too blurry after sleeping for several hours.

After a couple seconds, Thorn's vision cleared, and she could see the dragon's unhappy face. "Good..." the dragon said. "You're awake. We need to get going. Believe it or not, I'd like to get you out of my hair..." As he spoke, the dragon brought his claws down and sliced through the ropes binding her ankles. Thorn scowled at his words as the dragon went behind her and started to work on herb hands. Thorn expected the dragon to slice the ropes; that was why she was surprised to feel the dragon behind her slowly picking and pulling at the knots. He was trying to save them.

Finally, the ropes fell away, and Thorn happily pulled her arms away from behind the tree, but her happiness faded as she was surprised to realize that she could barely move them; she was forced to resort to dragging her hands across the dirt until they were at her side. Thorn feared that her feet would be exactly the same way.

"Come on..." the dragon walked over to her side. "Get up. We need to get going..." Thorn didn't know what to do. Should she tell him that she needed some time to get the feeling back in her limbs? Should she just refuse? Or should she just try to do what he said?

"Come on..." Jacob had lost his patience, and he reached down and grabbed Thorn by the shoulder, forcing her to her feet. As Thorn felt herself stand, she let out a gasp as she felt how weak her legs felt. Thorn staggered and almost fell forward, but Jacob reached out and grabbed her.

"Now give me your hands..." Jacob ordered.

Thorn just stared at the dragon for a moment, before she eyed the saved rope in his claws. "Give me your hands..." Jacob repeated. "I can't have you trying to get away.."

Running away had never crossed Thorn's mind. Surely he would catch her before she could get away from him. Then, even if she did get away, where would she go? Why would she go back to her master? It was then that Thorn realized the truth: she would rather go to a prison than go back. She was a prisoner either way, and at least in prison, they would feed her every one in a while. Without even realizing what she was doing, Thorn held out her hands and put them together, allowing Jacob to retie her.

As Jacob tied the ropes, Thorn looked down, looking for something to occupy herself with. As she searched, she gazed at herself and realized just how dirty her clothes were, and how dirty she felt. She had never thought about it while she was in the tower, but now that she was in the sunlight, she now realized how filthy she was. Thorn suddenly felt a tugging at her arms, and she looked back up at the dragon, realizing that he had finished binding her wrists, and he had attached some more rope to them, allowing him to guide her.

"Let's go..." Jacob ordered, and as she felt her arms being pulled as Jacob started to walk, Thorn sighed and started to follow. After a few moments of walking, Thorn decided that she might as well try to talk to and reason with her captor.

Thorn quickened her pace until she was right at the dragon's side. Jacob turned his head and stared right at her. "Glad to see you're keeping up..." he said, then he sighed; the kind of sigh one would give if they lost an argument. "Listen..." he started. "It's going to take a few days to get back to the island that the Dragon Lords live on if we just walk. So, what I'm trying to say is that we are probably going to have to act civil with each other. So...my name is Jacob. This is just a mission I've been given..."

Thorn moved her gaze from the dragon to the ground. Well, now what was she supposed to say? Jacob seemed to be expecting her to say something, so when she didn't say anything, he sighed. Listening to him, thorn managed to find her voice. "I...Is there...a river close...by?"

"I don't know..." Jacob replied. "Why? Are you thirsty?"

"No..." Thorn replied. "Dirty..."

Jacob turned his head at her answer. "I don't think that matters..." he said. "You're going to prison. It doesn't matter if you look pretty or not..."

Thorn could feel an angry blush creep onto her face. It wasn't about feeling "pretty", it was about feeling sanitary. He even said that it would be a couple days before they reached what was to become her new "home".

Jacob must have noticed the look on her face, for he sighed once again. "Fine..." he growled. "We'll find a river..."

&*%

After about another hour of walking through the forest, Thorn was exhausted. She wanted to beg Jacob for a rest, but she could not bring herself to open her mouth. Just when she felt like she was about to fall to her knees and not be able to get back up without Jacob's help, her ears started to pick up a sound. It sounded like falling and churning. Water!

Thorn turned her toward her dragon captor. "I hear it, too..." Jacob said. "Come on..."

&*%

After about another five to ten minutes, Jacob and Thorn passed through the last of the branches, and they found themselves standing before a stream. "Alright..." Jacob sighed as he grabbed hold of her hands, once again slowly untying her ropes instead of cutting them. Once her hands were free, Thorn lowered her arms as Jacob spoke: "Make this quick. I'll be watching you to make sure that you don't try to run away..."

The thought of the dragon watching her bathe made Thorn's heart skip a beat, and it also made her feel sick to her stomach. What if he was some sick freak who would get off on seeing her with only her undergarments on? What if he...?

Thorn quickly pushed this thought out of her head, and she found herself doing something that she had never imagined herself doing to anyone other than her master: begging. "No..." Thorn tried. "I won't go anywhere. I promise. Maybe...if you could wash my clo--"

"Sorry..." Jacob cut her off. "I'm not letting you out of my sight. Look, do you want me to let you do this or not?"

Thorn stopped trying to beg, and she looked down at the ground. She couldn't believe how embarrassed she was feeling at the moment, but then again, this was what she needed. Turning around, Thorn started to pull off her tunic, and as she got to the water, she pulled off her pants. Then, she stepped into the chilly water.

As she sat down, Thorn could feel her body start to shake from the cold temperature, but she knew that she had to do this. Trying to take her focus off of the cold, Thorn fell backwards, going completely under, except for her face; and she stayed there until he body got used to the cold water. Then, Thorn quickly sat up, feeling the water run down her back as her soaking hair stuck.

That was when Thorn decided to chance a look at Jacob. turning her head, she could see that Jacob was sitting against a tree, his arms crossed. He did not seemed to be enjoying the sight of a girl bathing.

This bringing some comfort to her, Thorn cupped her hands together and dipped them into the water and brought them back, pouring the water down her body.

"Hey!" After a couple of minutes, Thorn turned her head toward Jacob, who was holding onto her clothes. "Get out! We need to get going!"

&*%

After taking that nice bath, Thorn felt disgusted when Jacob made her put back on her dirty clothes. Jacob had quickly, yet tightly retied her hands and forced her to journey on. The dragon and the prisoner walked until the sun started to go down; at that point, Jacob started to search for shelter.

After about another hour, they stumbled across a cave. "Sit down..." Jacob ordered, and Rose felt herself complying. As she sat down, she felt Jake wrapping the rest of the rope around her ankles. After binding them as tightly as he could without causing her any physical pain, Jacob stood up straight and looked down on her. "Get some sleep..." He said, and then walked into the cave.

Thorn watched as Jacob lied down on the floor of the cave before she did the same in the dirt. Thorn rolled over onto her side and brought her bound hands up to her chest, wanting to keep warm. Just as Thorn felt like she was about to fall asleep, her eyes snapped wide open as she heard a booming sound in the sky. Thunder. Then, seconds later, she felt a drop of water fall down on her body.

&*%

Within minutes, it was pouring rain, and Thorn was shaking violently, her teeth chattering as her body continued to get soaked by the downpour. Thorn continued to shiver, even as she heard footsteps splashing in the puddles as they approached her; Thorn still continued to shake even as she felt two clawed hands grab onto her and pull her into the cave.

Once inside the cave, Jacob set Thorn back down on the floor before getting back down himself to get some sleep. However, as he listened to the girl next to him shake and chatter her teeth, he realized that he would not get any sleep unless he did something. It also occurred to him that if he did not do something to warm her up, she would contract some kind of illness and die.

On the other side of the cave, Thorn could not stop shaking from the cold. Suddenly, she gasped as she felt two claws grabbing onto her again and dragging her over to the other side of the cave. The next thing Thorn knew, two arms wrapped around her upper body.

Part of Thorn wanted the dragon to let her go, but the other part of her didn't care. She was so cold. Wanting some relief, Thorn buried herself closer against the dragon's scaly chest, and soon enough, she started to relax, her teeth stopped chattering, and she could feel a warmth spread through her body. It was almost as if he was radiating heat from his body and onto hers.

The newfound warmth was making it easier for Thorn to fall asleep, and as her eyes started to close, Thorn once again found herself thinking about the dragon, and how she didn't know if she should hate him, or if she should thank him...

END CHAPTER

**A/N: So, there it is: a new chapter. What did you think? Please review! I'd really like at least three before I update again.**


	8. Chapter 8

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Six: Master Knows

"THORN!" A pounding could be heard from behind the door of the tower room. Well, if there was anyone inside the room. Outside, Thorn's master pulled his fist away from the door and wrapped his fingers around the knob. With two other men wearing blood-red tunics and pants by his side, Master pushed the door open and stepped into the room.

Master strode into the room, looking both ways, but seeing no sign of the girl he had imprisoned inside. "Master..." one of the men opened his mouth. "It appears as though Thorn is not here..."

"You think?!" Master shot back, walking around the room. Master stopped at the window and looked down. "I don't see a body, so she didn't jump. Then, there is no place to hide in here..."

"Then where can she be, Master?" the other hunter asked. "She couldn't have--"

"Wait..." Master growled, cutting him off, taking a big, deep breath before he released it. "Something doesn't smell right in here. I know that smell..."

"I don't smell anything, sir..."

"Of course you don't!" Master walked away from the window and returned to the other two hunters. "Of course you don't smell it! You can only detect the stench of a dragon when you have faced many!"

"A dragon came?"

"Yes..." Master narrowed his eyes. "...and Thorn is missing..."

&*%

Both hunters hurried, trying to keep up with their master as he rushed down the spiral staircase that led up to Thorn's tower. Once Master reached the bottom of the stairs, he walked even faster as he passed all of the other hunters in the halls as he pushed open the door, leading him outside.

"Master..." one of the hunters said as he and his comrade caught up with him. "...What now?"

"Do we just let her go?" the other hunter asked.

"Of course not!" Master growled. "A dragon came by, but Thorn failed to slay it. She must now be a prisoner of the dragons..."

"So, are you going to save her?" one of the hunters asked.

"Of course not..." Master growled again. "I can always find someone else. I must find her, though. Thorn is just a scared little girl. She will tell the dragons everything they want to know about us in order to save her own skin. I know the dragons are hiding somewhere, and I know that is where the dragon will be taking Thorn. It is only a matter of time. When will they reach the hiding place? I have to find them before they reach the hiding place...and kill them both..."

&*%

Master entered the artillery room, walking over to the wall, where several weapons, such as axes, swords, darts and maces were held. The two hunters walked into the room just in time to see their master hook a belt onto his waist, taking several darts from their place on the wall and sliding them onto his belt.

"I may not know where the dragons are hiding..." Master said as he took and axe and a sword down from the wall. Hooking the axe onto his belt, he held the sword in both of his hands, stepping forward and thrusting the weapon, making a stabbing movement. "...But I do not need to in order to find Thorn and her dragon. I have had plenty of experience in those woods. I will be able to find them. Now, bring me a sheath!"

"Yes, my master..." one of the hunters bowed before he turned and walked out of the artillery room. Once he was gone, Master held the blade up, inspecting the blade. "Yes..." he said. "This should do. This shall be the weapon I use to end their lives..."

END CHAPTER

**A/N: Okay, I apologize for the very short chapter. So, not only will the next chapter get back to Jacob and Thorn, but I will also try to make it longer. The key word being "try". **

**So, other than that, how was that chapter? Did you like it? Please review. **


	9. Chapter 9

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Seven: What Happens When You Don't Have Food

Thorn did not know how long she had been awake. All she knew was that Jacob had not been in the cave when she had exited the world of dreams. The first thought to pop into her head was that Jacob had abandoned her, but by now, Thorn knew that this wasn't the case. Jacob needed her; she was his mission. So, Thorn just lied where she was, not moving. She just stared blankly into space, just silently wishing that she wasn't in this position; that she wasn't a prisoner of a dragon, wasn't a dragon slayer. She wished that she just had a normal life, one with a loving mother and father who didn't mistreat her.

Thorn was pulled out of her thoughts as she saw Jacob walk back into the cave. For once, he was not in dragon form, and Thorn was rather surprised to see that the dragon was exactly her age, not to mention a few inches shorter.

Jacob sighed as he sat down against the wall of the cave, putting his head in his hands. Watching him, Thorn slowly used her still bound hands to push herself into a sitting position. Finding her voice, she asked timidly: "Where were you?"

"I was out looking for food..." Jacob replied, looking up from his hands. "I couldn't find any animals..."

As Jacob spoke, Thorn could hear the growling of her stomach. She was hungry again. Perhaps it was her hunger speaking through her mouth, but Rose blurted out: "Who said it had to be an animal that we eat?"

"What?" Jacob gave her a questioning look. "Then what do you suggest we eat then, Thorn?"

"I don't know..." Thorn was now aware of the situation she had gotten herself into, and she now looked down at her bound hands to avoid Jacob's gaze. "...It's just...I...I've seen enough killing, and...and done enough killing to--"

"Really?" Thorn looked up as Jacob spoke. He was now glaring at her. "That's funny, because it seems to me like you can't get enough killing."

"I--" Thorn tried to say, but before she could continue, she stopped when Jacob stood up, reaching up and pulling off his tunic. Thorn's eyes widened as she just stared at Jacob's abs. She had never seen a man's bare body, but even then, she had to admit that Jacob looked stronger than he looked. Thorn did not know why, but as Jacob walked across the cave and over to his pile of supplies, Thorn found herself just staring at his bare back. Was she attracted to this dragon's body? No. That couldn't be. She shouldn't even like this dragon! Master had always taught her about how vile and disgusting dragons were. Then again, Thorn wasn't sure if that was entirely true. She even felt bad for the dragon lives that she took. Besides, this dragon was taking her to prison, where she would surely be spending the rest of her life. Then again, living it that tower was like prison.

Finally, Thorn mentally sighed with relief as Jacob slid a pair of armor on, hiding his bare body from her view. Jacob then turned and walked over to her, grabbing the rope attached to her bonds, using it to pull her to her feet. Walking Thorn over to the cave entrance, Jacob bent down and picked up his tunic.

"Come on..." he said. "We're going to go look for food..."

&*%

As they walked through the woods, Thorn groaned slightly as her foot sank into the mud for the fifth time. Jacob didn't seem to notice, or perhaps he didn't care, so Thorn was forced to yank her foot out of the mud in order to avoid having her arms pulled.

"Well, I don't see any source of food..." Jacob muttered as Thorn finally caught up. "Great idea, Thorn!" And don't tell me that I'm not looking hard enough!"

Thorn sighed. It was becoming very clear to her that Jacob was acting hostel towards her because he was hungry, and she was becoming annoyed herself. "Well, maybe you aren't!" She shot back.

"Well, maybe if you would give me an idea!" Jacob turned around, yelling at her. "Maybe you should do something useful for once!"

"Like what?!" Thorn yelled back. "What do you expect me to do? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm a prisoner, not your equal..."

"Oh, you know, that's a really good point..." Jacob retorted. "...I don't know about you, but maybe that should mean that you do all the work while the only thing I do is watch over you to make sure that you don't run away."

Thorn just stared at Jacob for a moment, a scowl creeping onto her features. Then, without warning, Thorn yanked her hands back, making Jacob lose his grip on the rope. Then, Thorn turned and started to storm off. "Hey!" Jacob called. "Where are you going?! Come back here!"

Thorn didn't listen; she kept on walking, headed right for two rather small bushes. Jacob growled as he started running after her, ramming into her and knocking her over; as they both fell, Thorn's hands extended, and as she hit the ground, her hands hit the bushes, going down the bushes, making some small, squishy, red berries fall off of the branches and onto the ground.

"Get off of me, you big brute!" Thorn shouted at the top of her lungs as she lifted her head, only to see the berries on the ground.

"Forget it!" Jacob growled as he slowly got up and grabbed Thorn by the back of her tunic. "I'm done trying to treat you with some respect! You're my prisoner, and now I'm going to start treating you like one, and nothing else! I'll bind your feet and carry you over my shoulder if I have to!"

"Wait, wait!" Thorn begged as she found herself being pulled up off the ground. Thorn quickly reached out and grabbed a four of the berries and shoved them into her mouth just as Jacob forced her onto her knees.

Jacob saw her, and his eyes widened as some of the juice started to run down Thorn's chin as she chewed. "What did you just do?!" he demanded. "What did you put in your mouth?!"

"I don't know..." Thorn said as she used her tongue to lick the juice off of her chin and into her mouth. "...But they're good." Then, she smiled smugly as she looked up at Jacob. "It looks like I just did something useful after all..."

END CHAPTER

**A/N: So, how was that? Did I ever mention that besides a little bit of Jake/Rose, I've never written a romance story. So, how am I doing for a beginner? Please review! Another three or more reviews would make me happy! **


	10. Chapter 10

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Eight: The Truth Comes Out

Jacob and Thorn were now sitting down, taking time to eat some of the food they had gathered. They had gathered all of the berries that were on both bushes, totaling up to about forty berries. As he watched Thorn sit down, Jacob was surprised to see the look in Thorn's eyes; they were glowing. Basically, she looked like she had died and just arrived at the gates of Heaven. Jacob quickly sat down as well, and he set his tunic down, dropping all of the berries down into the dirt.

Thorn watched, her eyes wide with anticipation as she watched Jacob divide the berries; twenty for him, and twenty for her. Feeling the drool starting to form at her lips, Thorn lunged for the berries, only to feel Jacob's claws hold her back, grabbing her shoulder. "Wait just a moment..." Jacob ordered, and the joy died from her eyes as she watched Jacob divide the berries once more; right in half, leaving her only ten.

"No!" Thorn shouted as she watched Jacob put her ten berries and ten of his back onto his tunic, wrapping them up. "What are you doing?!"

"We need to save these until we can find more food..." Jacob replied. "You should count yourself lucky that you get that many. In fact, you should count yourself lucky that you even get any at all..."

Thorn scowled. "I found them!"

"So?"

Thorn didn't answer. Instead, she just reached out and grabbed all of her berries, bringing them up and stuffing them in her mouth. As Thorn chewed, more juice running down her chin, Jacob watched with wide eyes. "Dang..." he muttered. "Why didn't you feed yourself more often? You know, maybe then, you wouldn't be in this position. Maybe then you would have slain me, and then you could have gone on with your life. You could have gone on happily starving yourself..."

Thorn stopped her chewing, and as she swallowed her food, she just glared at Jacob. "Shut up, dragon..." she growled. "You have no idea what you're talking about..."

"Oh, I do..." Jacob picked up one of the berries that was in his pile and put it in his mouth. "Every dragon knows every single fact about your life..."

"Like what?!"

"Oh, like how you have no regard for any life..." Jacob started to list, counting on his fingers. "...You've killed dozens of dragons, you lure them to their deaths by locking yourself in that tower..."

"No!" Thorn trued to cut him off, but Jacob kept on going.

"...Then there are the things that I have learned about you from our lovely time together..." Jacob continued. "You can't fight, you starve yourself..."

"I don't starve myself!" Thorn had finally had it. "I don't starve myself! And I don't care what you think, but I am not a cold blooded killer!"

"Then why do you kill dragons?!" Jacob could feel his body temperature rising. "We're just entitled to life as you are!"

"I guess you're more deserving of life than I am!" Tears had started to form in Thorn's eyes, and the girl found herself hunching over as the tears started to roll down her cheeks. "Don't you get it, dragon?" Thorn slowly lifted up her head again, her eyes staring right into Jacob's. "I didn't have a choice!"

"Of course you did..." Jacob wanted to be angry with his prisoner, but when he saw the tears in her eyes, he could feel his anger starting to leave his body.

"No..." Thorn insisted. "...I didn't..." Then, she sniffled. "...I didn't lock myself in that tower. My master locked me in that tower. I didn't starve myself. My master starved me..."

"What are you trying to tell me?" Jacob asked. "Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? You're a murderer, and nothing is going to change that in my eyes or in any other dragon's eyes..."

Thorn sniffled again. "I didn't say I wasn't a murderer. I just said that I wasn't cold blooded. But if you believe that doing what you have to do in order to survive makes you a monster, then so be it. I did what I had to do to stay alive. It was the only way Master would feed me. If I didn't kill dragons, I would slowly starve. Let me ask you something, dragon: What would you have done if you were in my position?"

"I..." Jacob tried to reply, but to his surprise, he found that he didn't know what to say.

"I don't want your sympathy..." Thorn added after a moment. "...I just want you to know that I'm not a monster. Don't I have a right to protect myself, to fight for my life? Am I a bad person for wanting to live? Am I a bad person for wanting a better life?"

Jacob didn't like this new feeling in his chest. He didn't know what to think anymore. There was only one thing he knew for sure, and he wanted to make it clear: "Well, it doesn't look like that's going to happen, does it?"

END CHAPTER

**A/N: You know, is it just me or did this feel like one of those "Zuko tells the Gaang about how he got his scar" scenes? Sorry it's so short, but it's getting kind of late and I'd kind of like to get this up before I go to bed. So, what did you think? Could this be the changing factor in their "relationship"? Only time can tell...**

**Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Nine: Dragon's Plan

Jacob just sat in front of the blazing fire that he had set up, and all he was doing was staring at Thorn as the curled up huntress slept. It had only been a few hours since Thorn had told him her side of the story, and now that he had heard her say those words, he couldn't help but believe it now. He had been blind from the truth before. How could he not have seen it? The girl was so skinny, so frail, so quick to devour what food he gave her.

However, Jacob was bothered by this. He did not want to see Thorn as anything but the villain; his job. If he began to see the good in his prisoner, it could jeopardize his mission. Then again, the more and more he learned about Thorn, the more he started to doubt the world's status as "black and white".

That was what truly bothered Jacob. If a girl who had murdered dozens of his kind was not the villain, then who was? If Thorn was a victim, then who would pull her out of the world of cruelty and murder that she was trapped in? The answer was the first question was obvious: the man who had forced her to kill in order to survive. The one she called "Master". The answer to the second question...that wasn't so clear to Jacob at the moment.

Jacob decided that he had to stop thinking about that. He had to remember that Thorn was the villain, and he was the hero. Thorn was not a victim, she was the villain.

Trying to prove this fact to himself, Jacob moved his gaze up to Thorn's sleeping face. He tried to scowl, he tried to hate her and everything she had ever done to every dragon she had come in contact with. She took away their lives without a second thought. Or had she? If what Thorn said was true, which Jacob had no doubt in his head that she wasn't lying, then perhaps she really didn't have a choice. Maybe it made her feel like a monster to take away those lives. Then again, she had tried to tell him that she was not a monster.

As he looked at her sleeping form, and actually somewhat peaceful-looking face, Jacob wanted to hate her. Yet, he found that he couldn't bring himself to do so. He found that as she slept, Thorn had an angelic look to her face, and as he looked at her, Jacob started to wonder if that same look she had on her face while she slept could be brought out of her while she was awake.

Jacob suddenly let loose a long yawn; he was getting tired. Finally looking away from Thorn's face, Jacob lied down onto the ground. As he waited for sleep to take him, Jacob still found that his mind wouldn't wander away from Thorn. His mind had to know if she was a monster like he thought...or if she was a good person forced to commit evil acts like she claimed.

How could he pull the true Thorn out of Thorn?

As Jacob finally found his eyes closing, the answer hit him. It was actually quite obvious. He would have to coax her into revealing her true self to him. He would have to make her want to behave in front of him. To do that, he would have to behave in front of her. He would have to act like a complete gentleman; not berate her attitude, give in to more of her requests, give her more food than he had. All of these things could help convince her that she could trust him.

However, as Jacob finally fell asleep, he couldn't help but wonder if it would work or not.

Regardless, he would have to try...

END CHAPTER

**A/n: I know it's short, and I'm sorry. The next chapter will be longer! I promise!**


	12. Chapter 12

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Ten: Jacob the Gentleman

Master held his sword tightly in his hands as he slowly walked through the woods. He had much experience in these woods, but he hated it out in the open woods. Everything about it disgusted him: the tall trees, the bushes, the animals--he especially hated the animals. They disgusted him, almost as much as dragons disgusted him.

Master took another step, and beneath his foot, a twig snapped. Master looked up at the sound he had made, and he could see several squirrels on the branches of the trees. Growling, Master growled and kept walking until he approached a clearing where he could see a stream.

Master took a deep breath as he walked over to the stream, and he dropped to his knees, putting his hands into the water, he grinned. He knew that smell. It was only about a day old, maybe a little older. "Dragon..." Master brought his hands out of the water, splashing what was cupped in his hands onto his face. A dragon had been here, Master knew that, and as he turned his head to the side, his grin widened as he noticed footprints in the dirt. Human footprints. "Oh, Thorn..." Master chuckled.

So, they had been here. Since the dragon was carrying Thorn with him, they probably had not gotten very far from here. It would be quite easy to find them...

&*%

"Come on..." Jacob said that morning, slowly helping Thorn to her feet after a night's sleep. "There..." He said as Thorn finally stood up. "That's better, isn't it?"

"You don't have to help me, dragon..." Thorn growled, stepping away from Jacob.

Jacob didn't answer; instead, he walked over to his supplies and quickly gathered them up. After slinging them over his back, Jacob walked back over to Thorn and took the rope that was attached to her bonds into his claws. "Come on..." Jacob told her.

Jacob started walking back into the forest, and after a moment, he could hear Thorn sigh as she walked up to his side, looking down at the ground. _It's now or never. _Jacob thought to himself as he continued to walk. Finally, he managed to look at Thorn, and he pointed to the ropes binding her wrists. "Are you okay? Are those too tight?"

Thorn kept her mouth shut for a moment before she looked up and glared at Jacob. "You're doing a horrible job at trying to get me to warm up to you..."

"What makes you think I'm trying to do that?" Jacob tried to play innocent, but he could tell that Thorn was not buying it.

Never the less, Thorn said: "Then why don't you just untie me?"

"I can't do that..." Jacob replied quickly. "If I were to do that, you would run away. I can't let that happen. I have to take you to the Dragon Lords..."

Thorn sighed again. "I thought I told you..." She said. "...I wouldn't go anywhere. Do you think I want to go back to Master and be forced to kill dragons in order to survive again? I don't care what you think, dragon. I wasn't lying, and I don't have anywhere else to go..."

&*%

Jacob and Thorn had been walking for several hours, and it was now getting dark. Jacob wanted to continue on, he could tell that Thorn was getting tired. A part of him wanted to growl with frustration and tell her to suck it up, but he also knew that if he was going to try and see if there really was a good person inside Thorn, he would have to try to pull it out.

"Do you want to rest?" Jacob asked.

To his surprise, Thorn did not answer, she just simply sat down. "Here..." Jacob said, setting his supplies down and unrolling his tunic. With every single last remaining berry on the tunic, he pushed it over to where she sat. "You can have the rest of these..." He told her.

Thorn looked from Jacob down to the berries on his tunic and the finally back up to Jacob's face again. "I knew it..." she growled. "You're trying to win me over."

"No I'm not..." Jacob lied, growling in annoyance. Why did this girl have to be so stubborn? Of course he was trying to win her over, but why couldn't she just accept his offer? He was giving her what motivated her to kill: food. So, the question remained: Why wasn't she falling for it now?

"Then tell me, dragon..." Thorn demanded. "Why are you doing this for me? Why are you giving me your food?"

"Because you need it more than I do..." Jacob quickly replied. Perhaps too quickly...

"That never stopped you from eating before..." Thorn told him, her eyes narrowed, telling him: _I'm no idiot. _"What do you want from me, dragon? Before I had to beg you to let me take a bath, now you're offering. Tell me what's changed."

"I told you before, Thorn..." Jacob growled. "...I can be a nice guy. As a Dragon Knight, I'm supposed to help people..."

"Even cold-blooded murderers?" Thorn retorted, rolling her eyes. "I've told you everything about me, dragon. There is nothing else that I can possibly think of. So I don't know why you're wasting your time..."

Jacob could feel his temperature rising and his temper flaring up. "You know what?" Jacob growled. "Fine! You're so difficult, do you know that? Is that how you're going to act with the Dragon Lords? Well, I'd love to see how that works out for you! I'm going to go to sleep..."

Jacob then turned and took a few steps before he sat down and fell down onto his side. Thorn watched until Jacob was completely motionless before she glanced at the berries, her stomach growling as she did. Taking one more look at Jacob to make sure that he wasn't watching, Thorn reached out and grabbed the berries.

After two handfuls of berries, they were gone, and Thorn lied back onto the ground looking up at the night sky. As she did, Thorn tried to fall asleep, but she found that she couldn't. She found that all she could do was let her mind wander off, and there was one thought that would not stop plaguing her mind: Was Jacob serious when he had told her that he was just trying to be nice, or was she right?

&*%

Master continued walking through the woods, taking a deep breath every few moments. He could smell the dragon, and he could sense that he was getting close. Master kept on walking through the woods, holding his sword close to him. It would not be too much longer. He was getting close. He could feel it...

A couple of moments later, Master came to a fork in the woods. Not entirely sure which way to go, Master took another deep breath. As he exhaled, he smiled. "This way..." He said as he turned to the right.

With every step he took, Master's evil grinned only kept on widening. With every step he took, he was getting only closer to the dragon and Thorn. Then, he would fight them both...and kill them both...

END CHAPTER

**A/N: so, there it is. It's longer! What did you think? Please review. **


	13. Chapter 13

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Eleven: Surprise Attack

Thorn groaned as she turned over onto her back as she slept. It was getting cold, and Thorn was starting to desire a nice, warm fire. Slowly opening her eyes, Thorn groaned as she sat up. It did not take long for her to find Jacob; he was lying on his back, only a couple of inches away. Instead of trying to get to her feet, Thorn simply put her bound hands on the ground and slowly made her way over to Jacob.

Thorn was about to try to shake Jacob, but before she could put her hands on his shoulder, she froze when she heard a snap from only a few feet away. Glancing up, Thorn scanned the wooded area. Holding her breath, Thorn waited, hoping that nothing would come out of the darkness...

&*%

Master held his sword tightly in front of him as he walked through the woods. As he took a deep breath, inhaling the scent he had been smelling for about a day now, he found that he was coming up at a clearing. The scent was getting stronger...

He was getting closer...

&*%

Thorn waited for a few seconds, hoping that this feeling of dread she was experiencing would soon pass. She took a deep breath and held it, not wanting to alert whatever predator was in the woods. Thorn waited for a couple more seconds later, and she finally felt a feeling of relief washing over her; she didn't know why, but she felt like some kind of danger had passed. With some relief, Thorn started to release the air that she had stored in her lungs, but she quickly stopped when she heard a snapping sound. Thorn felt the fear come swarming back to her body. The snapping sound was close; coming right from the clearing.

Thorn could feel her heart skip a beat as she saw a figure walking out of the woods; she recognized the figure immediately: it was her master. "Hello, Thorn..." He smiled cruelly at her as he held the sword tightly in both of his hands.

"No..." Thorn found herself muttering as she watched Master get closer. Thorn finally managed to put her hands on the sleeping dragon, and she managed to shake him as hard as she could. "Jacob!" She begged silently. "Jacob! Wake up! Jac--uggh!" Before Thorn could continue, she grunted as was thrown off of the ground and onto her back as Master's foot made contact with her chest.

However, Jacob's eyes had opened just as soon as Master had kicked Thorn in the chest, and he quickly shot his tail out, wrapping it around Master's leg, throwing him onto the back as Jacob sat up. "Thorn!" Jacob turned his head to make sure that his prisoner was okay, but to his horror, he could see that Thorn had made it to her feet, and she was now taking off, running into the woods.

"Damn!" Jacob cursed, and he started to get up, preparing to chase after her, but before he could, he grunted as he felt two strong arms wrapping around him, dragging him to the ground. "It...it looks like Thorn abandoned you, dragon!" Master hissed into Jake's ear.

&*%

Thorn's heart was pounding as she ran into the forest, not really knowing where she was going. _What do I do? What do I do? _Her mind demanded as she continued to run. _I can't leave him! I have to do something! But what? If I go back, then we just both die! What do I do?_

_I have to help him..._

Thorn suddenly stopped running as this thought played in her mind again. She DID have to help him. This was the first living being that had showed her any form of kindness, the first living being that did not abuse her, the first living being that actually cared if she died.

"I have to help him..." Thorn finally spoke the relentless thought in her very mind. Then, without another thought, Thorn turned and ran back the same way she came.

&*%

Jacob tried to fight Master's hold on him, but he was finding it near impossible. Master's arm was now around his throat, and it felt like he was about to run out of air very soon. _I've failed_...

_No! _Jacob suddenly felt his will to defeat his foe and complete his mission give him strength. Forcing his eyes open, Jacob managed to bring his tail up, slamming Master off of him. Coughing, Jacob managed to sit up, just as Master swung his sword at him.

Thinking quickly, Jacob flapped his wings and lifted into the air, and he blew fire at his opponent. However, Master was able to dodge this attack, and he somersaulted to the side and got to his feet, just as Jake could see someone emerge from the clearing. It did not take Jacob long to realize that it was Thorn, and unfortunately, it did not take Master very long to realize that it was Thorn, either.

Master whirled around and jumped into the air, bringing both of his feet into Thorn's stomach as she charged at him. Thorn grunted as she landed on the ground on her back, only being able to look up at Master's face as he scowled at her. "You defend a dragon?!" He roared, raising his sword up. "You leave me no other choice, Thorn!"

Seeing the blade of the sword, and knowing what was coming, Thorn quickly squeezed her eyes shut. However, before she could feel the blade slicing into her flesh, she heard a shout--it sounded like...like Jacob. Then, as she slowly opened her eyes, she heard a yelling coming from her master, and she could see why.

Jacob had used his tail to grab Master, and he was now twirling him in the air. Then, right before Thorn's very eyes, Master let out a loud scream as Jacob released him, and Thorn watched as Master slammed against a tree; Master yelled again before he fell onto the ground on his side.

Thorn turned away from Master when Jacob landed on the ground, just looking at her. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Is he dead?" Thorn asked, ignoring his question.

"I think so..." Jacob told her. "...But then again, I've been wrong before, and I don't want to stay here and wait and see if I'm wrong...Now, come on..."

Thorn didn't react as Jacob took hold of her hands, but maybe that was because Jacob spoke again: "You came back. I want to know why. You could have gotten away, but you came back to be my prisoner again? Why did you come back?"

"I told you before..." Thorn told him, avoiding his gaze. "...I've told you several times. I don't want to go back to them. I don't have anywhere to go..."

Thorn half expected Jacob to respond, but to her surprise, he didn't. Instead, he simply said: "Alright. Well, then let's going..."

Thorn returned her gaze to Jacob and got her footing in the dirt, preparing herself for when Jacob pulled her to her feet. However, to Thorn's surprise, Jacob removed one hand from hers, and while he still held onto them with one clawed hand, he used his other to claws to slice the ropes binding her. As she watched Jacob pull the now cut ropes from her skin, Thorn's eyes widened; he didn't untie them like he had done before, he had actually cut them.

"Now, let's go..." Jacob told her, standing up straight and turning around so he could continue on.

"Wait!" Thorn called out as the red dragon started to walk toward the woods, and she used her now freed hands to push herself up to her feet. "Why did you do that?" She asked.

"Because..." Jacob told her, turning around and looking at her, his eyes staring into hers. "...You had your chance to get away, but you willingly returned. You weren't lying, Thorn...and...I trust you enough now..." Then, when it appeared to Jacob like Thorn hadn't understood him, he repeated: "I trust you..."

END CHAPTER

**A/N: So, here's the new chapter. Now, I know you've been waiting for quite a while, so now, here it is. Please review and tell me what you think. **


	14. Chapter 14

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Twelve: Training Tips

Jacob had gone off into the woods to find more food, and fortunately for Thorn, the dragon had trusted her enough to leave her alone while untied. The only trade off was that Thorn had to find wood to light a fire. That had been much easier than she had thought, and it had only taken her a few minutes.

Thorn now sat on a log in the dark of night, holding her hands out in front of the flames, trying to keep warm. She did not know how much longer Jacob would be gone, but by this point, she knew that he would eventually be back...

&*%

It had been another hour since Thorn had started the fire, and it was starting to die. Reaching to her side, Thorn grabbed three pieces of wood and threw them into the fire. Then, Thorn watched as the fire roared back to life, and as she put her hands out toward the flames, a thought occurred to her:

She was weak. She couldn't take on anyone. Wasn't that why she was captured? She couldn't defend herself. She had never really thought about it before, but after her attempt to defeat her master blew up in her face, she realized just how useless she was.

Thorn was so lost in this thought that she didn't even jump at the sound of a snapping twig, and she didn't even turned her head until she realized that Jacob, in dragon form, was sitting down next to her.

"I apologize for being gone for so long..." Jacob said.

"It doesn't matter..." Thorn told him quietly. Then, she added: "Did you find food?"

"I did..." Jacob nodded. "...But not much..." As he spoke, he held up two dead rabbits. "It's one for both of us..."

"Okay..."

Jacob was quite taken back by Thorn's attitude. He thought that she would be jumping for joy at the offer of food, but to his surprise, she just looked sad. Jacob watched as Thorn simply looked down at her lap, pulling her hands away from the fire. "What's wrong?" Jacob finally asked.

"Nothing..." Thorn quickly replied, trying to turn away. She didn't have to tell him anything...

"Alright..." Jacob shrugged. "...If that's the case, then I'm going to find some sticks so we can roast these..." Jacob got up from the log and turned, about to walk back into the woods in order to search for some sticks, but that was when he finally heard Thorn speak in a rather small voice:

"Jacob?"

"Yeah?" Jacob replied, turning and looking at the young huntress.

"Do you..." Thorn spoke, but she paused, almost as if she didn't want to ask this question, but she would find no solace until she did. "...Think...Think I'm weak?"

"Uh..." Jacob didn't know how to answer. Should he lie to her? Should he tell her the truth? The model dragon would tell the truth, but Jacob knew that it would only make her feel bad, and if this was what was bothering her, it would undoubtedly make it only worse.

Fortunately, Thorn must have been reading his mind, for she added: "Be honest..."

"Well..." Jacob finally knew how to answer her question. "...What do you mean weak?"

"You saw me..." Thorn lowered her head, looking down at her lap again. "...When Master attacked, he just knocked me down. And then...you easily defeated me. Am I really that weak?"

"Well..." Jacob found himself walking over to the log that Thorn was sitting on. "...If you want an honest answer, I can really only ask you what he trained you in order to find out. How much hand-to-hand or other fighting did he teach you?"

"He didn't..." Thorn answered. "...He only taught me how to surprise the dragons. He also taught me how to dodge attacks. Other than that, he didn't teach me much..."

"Well, that's why..." Jacob chuckled slightly, putting it bluntly. "...If he never taught you how to actually fight, then there is nothing wrong with you, it's just that you never learned..." Then, Jacob's small smile faded completely, and he sighed. "...I'm going to regret this..."

"You're going to regret what?" Thorn asked, but her question was answered as Jacob walked over to the small pile of wood, and he picked out the two biggest pieces of wood. Then, Thorn watched as Jacob used his claws to carve the pieces of wood, making it so that they looked like miniature swords. Then, Jacob set one of the down while he kept the other one in his claws.

"Alright..." Jacob told her. "...I am going to try to attack you with my sword. I want you to show me how your master taught you to dodge. Okay?"

Thorn simply nodded, and she slowly stood up, facing Jacob as she watched him starting to point the blade at her. Then, Jacob struck. The first attempted blow was a jab that was aimed for Thorn's throat, which she avoided by bending over backwards. Just as Thorn straightened up, Jacob came back and swung the "sword" for her throat, as if he was going to decapitate her. Once again, Thorn dodged the blow by bending over. As she straightened once again, Jacob swung the "sword" for her legs, but Rose jumped up, dodging.

However, as she landed back on her feet, Jacob dropped the sword and shot out his claws; the tips touching Thorn's throat. As Thorn gasped in shock, Jacob smiled.

"You see, that's the problem..." Jacob told her, chuckling. "...What my grandfather has been teaching me is that you can't just pay attention to their weapon. You also need to pay attention to them in general. If you were really fighting, you'd be dead right now..."

Thorn couldn't help but glare at Jacob as he said this, but when she saw Jacob pick up the second piece of wood, it faded when she realized that he was handing it to her. "Wh...Why are you doing this?" She asked. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"I'm going to give you some tips..." Jacob answered, giving a shrug.

"But won't that anger the Lords?" Thorn asked, now feeling a sinking feeling in her chest. "If they know that I know...?"

"It won't really matter..." Jacob cut her off. "...You'll be in a cell. You won't be able to get out. Now come on. This won't take that long." Then, he held up his stick "sword". "Now, the object of sword fighting is to both try to avoid being killed by your opponent, while trying to kill them...Okay? So, now we'll try..."

Thorn watched as Jacob tried to jab her with the sword, and taking in what Jacob had told her, she took a large step back, blocking Jacob's stick with hers. "Not bad..." Jacob told her, and he tried to strike her again, but Thorn managed to duck, and she thrust her "sword" out, the tip touching Jacob's stomach.

Jacob froze, and his eyes widened as he lowered his "sword". "Did you just..." He asked, but he stopped when he saw Thorn smiling. "...Good job...I guess..." Then, Jacob shook his head, trying to get over the shock. "Alright..." He dropped his "sword", and Thorn followed his example, dropping hers as well.

"...Next..." Jacob continued. "...You say that your master never taught you hand-to-hand?"

"No..."

"Alright..." Jacob told her. "...I'm going to try to attack you with my fists, and you are going to block them, like you already know how to. Now, the twist is that you have to try to deliver some blows yourself...Do you think you can do that?"

"I..." Thorn started, but she stopped herself. Could she? Thorn found that she did not know if she could...

"It's easy..." Jacob told her. "...Just look at my fists and follow me..."

Thorn found herself nodding, and she found herself looking at Jacob's clawed fists as he clenched them. Thorn immediately did the same. Then, she followed Jacob as he slowly brought his hands up, bending his arms so that his fists were touching his chest. Then, she continued to follow his example as he slowly extended his arms.

"Can you do that?" Jacob asked.

"I think so..." Thorn nodded.

"Well, we'll soon find out..." Jacob told her, and the two faced each other. Then, Jacob lifted off of his feet and tried to slam his tail into her. Thorn quickly reacted, and she jumped up toward him, trying to kick him, while also trying to deliver a punch, but Jacob backed up, and Thorn fell back to the ground, landing on her stomach.

Thorn groaned, slowly standing up, and once she was on her feet, she noticed that Jacob had returned to the ground. Taking a deep breath, Thorn charged at Jacob, clenching both of her fists; Thorn extended both of her arms, trying to punch Jacob in the chest, but each time she tried to punch him, Jacob only backed up.

Thorn and Jacob continued fighting each other until the fire that had been set started to extinguish and die out. At first, Thorn had taken more blows than Jacob did, but as she continued, she had started to improve. Even though her heart was pounding, Thorn had managed to deliver a few blows to Jacob's chest, and one to his jaw. Of course, Jacob had delivered some to her, as well as knocked her down a few times, but Thorn finally felt like she could be a worthy opponent.

By the time the fire had completely died, both Jacob and Thorn felt like they were about to pass out from exhaustion. Her knees shook as she slowly sat down, her heart pounding against her chest as her back made contact with the log.

In the dark, she could not see Jacob, but she assumed that he was still by her, and this thought was confirmed when she started to hear Jacob's snoring.

As Thorn herself tried to fall asleep, and she felt her heart rate slowly decreasing, she found that a feeling was washing over her. It invigorated her and it made her smile, but she couldn't place her finger on her feelings. She had never felt this way before, but she instantly knew that she liked the feeling.

Thorn tried to think of the feeling, but she could not come up with anything. She knew that she had enjoyed the last few hours, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Unfortunately, sleep was starting to take over, and Thorn felt like she had no choice but to close her eyes and give up on her search for the name of the feeling that she felt. Her eyes closed, Thorn could see nothing, and all she could hear was Jacob's snoring.

Then, as sleep finally took her, Thorn finally realized what she had been feeling, and what she was still feeling. Fun...

For the first time in her life, she had had some fun...

END CHAPTER

**A/N: So, how was that? Please review! Sorry if it seemed a little rushed.**


	15. Chapter 15

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Thirteen: Forming Feelings?

Thorn tossed and turned in her sleep. It was difficult for her to focus on getting her wrist when her mind would only take her to those last few minutes of her night in her dreams. She could see herself holding the stick, feel her heart beating against her chest as she moved her body, trying to strike her opponent before he struck her down. It had been exhilarating.

Opening her eyes, Thorn slowly sat up. It was dark, but when she turned her head, she could see that Jacob was still fast asleep. Holding her breath, Thorn stood up, silently hoping that when she walked, her boots didn't crunch any twigs.

As soon as she got to the entrance of the woods, Thorn sighed with relief, stepping in.

&*%

Thorn looked around the dark woods as she walked deeper and deeper still into them. Thorn kept walking until she came to a stop in front of a large tree. "This should do..." Thorn told herself as she reached into the side of her pants, pulling out her dagger. Thorn looked up, finding the shortest branch, which was very thin, and had few leaves.

Grunting, Thorn stood up on her tip-toes and put the blade of her dagger under the branch as the strt. With one swift movement, Thorn's dagger went through the branch, and the branch fell to the dirt.

Smiling, Thorn walked over to the branch; bending over and picking it up, Thorn pulled off all of the leaves, dropping them as she used her dagger to start to carve the tips of the branch...

&*%

Thorn sat against the tree for about an hour. Her knees were pulled up to her stomach, as she used the dagger to sharpen the tips. Lowering the dagger, Thorn brought the tips of the branch to her lips, and she blew, blowing off some of the sawdust on it.

Then, once she was certain it was ready, Thorn got to her feet and held the makeshift weapon on her hands. Taking a deep breath, Thorn twirled her weapon until it she removed one of her hands and stopped twirling, her weapon now at her side.

Taking another deep breath, Thorn stepped forward, bending her knees as she thrust her weapon out. Then, Thorn jumped off of her feet, flipping through the air, twirling her weapon as she landed on her feet once again.

Like before, it felt thrilling for Thorn, and she smiled knowing that she felt empowered. Tightening her grip on her makeshift weapon, Thorn was about to perform the movements again, but she froze when she heard a twig snap from behind her.

"Jacob?" Thorn asked as she turned around. She knew it was silly to think it was Jacob, as their camp was the other way, but Thorn had no idea who else it could be.

She soon found out, and her eyes widened as she saw a large, orange-furred tiger was slowly approaching her, a slow, vicious growl coming from the beast.

Not knowing what else to do, Thorn tried to soothe the beast. "It's okay..." She tried to say. "...I'm no threat you. I'm not going to hurt you. There's no need to--"

However, before she could finish, the tiger opened its jaws and let out a loud, spine-tingling roar...

&*%

Back at Jacob's camp, the red dragon was still fast asleep. He was about to open his mouth and release a loud snore, but before he could, his eyes shot open as he heard the roar from the woods. Sitting up, Jacob groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Man, what was that?" He asked. "Thorn, did you hear that?"

Jacob waited patiently for an answer, but after about a minute of silence, Jacob quickly blew a ball of fire into his claws. "Thorn?" Jacob asked, but his eyes widened as he took in his surroundings. Thorn was gone.

&*%

Thorn simply stood her ground as the tiger slowly started to advance on her. Her heart now pounding from worry instead of adrenaline, Thorn gripped her makeshift weapon tightly, and this turned out to be the moment when the tiger attacked.

Yelling in surprise, Thorn jumped to the side, avoiding the beast as it landed right where she had been standing. Thorn turned and pointed her weapon at the beast, but the tiger didn't really seem to be intimidated. The tiger leapt forward and bit into Thorn's weapon; Thorn panicked and pulled back, and she found that the first of the points on her weapon had been bitten off.

The tiger was now growling, approaching Thorn. Her heart pounding, Thorn quickly turned her weapon around and tried to jab at the tiger. The tiger backed up to avoid Thorn's "spear", but it still growled at her.

"THORN!" A new voice shouted from not very far away. Thorn immediately recognized the voice: It was Jacob. He didn't sound happy, but Thorn didn't care. She'd take an angry dragon over a tiger that would eat her any day.

As she waited for Jacob, Thorn kept her eyes on the tiger, occasionally jabbing her "spear" at it if it gave her a reason to think that it would attack.

Finally, Thorn could hear a rustling coming from the trees as Jacob finally flew into sight and landed right in-between Thorn and the tiger. Before Thorn could even blink, Jacob lifted into the air and slammed his tail into the tiger. A crash a couple seconds later indicated to Thorn that the tiger had hit the ground.

Then, Jacob returned to the ground, and turning to Thorn, reverted to his human form. "What are you doing out here?" He demanded, angry. "I thought I could trust you!"

"No, you can!" Thorn quickly told him, almost in a pleading manner. "I'm sorry! I just...I enjoyed the feeling of training, so..."

"So you decided to train yourself?" Jacob asked, cutting her off, his angry look slowly fading.

"You could say that..." Thorn replied softly. "...I'm sorry. I won't wander off again..."

To Thorn's surprise, Jacob no longer seemed angry; instead, he nodded, apparently taking her word. This would have made Thorn happy, but her eyes quickly filled with panic as she saw the tiger slowly starting to get up after being attacked.

"Jacob, look out!" Thorn warned as the tiger jumped up, on a collision course with Jacob's back. Thorn quickly pushed Jacob to the side and held up her "spear", shutting her eyes in worry, only to open them again when she heard a roar of pain.

The roar was coming from the tiger, and it was in the dirt, the point of Thorn's spear having gone through its paw. Thorn looked at the wounded beast in shock, but she soon turned away when she saw Jacob slowly starting to stand up. "Did you just...?" He asked.

"I did it!" Thorn exclaimed, feeling an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and joy rush through her veins, and without even realizing what she was doing, she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Jacob, trapping him in a hug.

"Whoa!" Jacob was caught off guard, and he tried to pull back, but to his surprise, Thorn's hold was stronger than he thought it would be. Jacob immediately gave up on trying to get away, and he just stood there, waiting for her to let him go. However, as Jacob waited, he could not deny that there was a certain feeling that was coming over him, warming his body...

...Warming his body...

END CHAPTER

**A/N: Alright, so I decided to cut this chapter a little short. So now, instead of being nineteen chapters long, this story will be either 20 or 21. So, please review.**

**Oh, also for those of you who care, the next chapter of "What A Wonderful Alternate World" is coming. I just don't know when. It's a pretty long and tricky chapter. I hope to get it up by the end of the week, but please don't be angry if it isn't. I have a lot of stories (and school work) on my plate at the moment. **


	16. Chapter 16

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Fourteen: Return and Secret Revealed

"Come on..." Jacob didn't bother to look behind him as he and Thorn walked out of the forest. Jacob instead looked up into the sky, seeing that clouds were covering the sky, the moon as well. Jacob knew what this meant...rain was coming. "...We need to hurry, Thorn..." Jacob added.

He could hear Thorn's footsteps trailing behind him, and a moment later, he could hear her small voice: "Why?"

"Rain is coming..." Jacob answered. "...So unless you want to get caught in the pouring rain and die from an illness, I suggest we hurry..."

Thorn said nothing more, and the two continued on...

&*%

Thunder roared in the sky up above, and as Jacob and Thorn walked through the woods, Jacob found himself groaning, especially after he felt a drop of water fall down from the sky and hit his snout. "We need to hurry..." Jacob quickly told his prisoner, and they both quickened their pace; getting to the point where both of them were running through the woods.

Unfortunately, this did not good for the two, and within seconds, it was pouring down rain. Thorn shivered as her clothes were dampened by the rain, and she could tell that Jacob was just as wet.

Nonetheless, Jacob still kept looking, and Thorn lamely tried to cover herself from the downpour by putting her hands on top of her head, and as she started to follow Jacob, she started to realize that her plan to prevent getting even more soaked was not a very good one.

As a result, Thorn simply followed Jacob, just looking at the back of his head, trying to keep her mind off of the cold rain. Finally, Jacob stopped, and thorn stopped at his side. To her surprise, Jacob was pointing at something in front of them. Thorn tried to look, but at first, all she could see was darkness, due to the dark night, and to a lesser cause, the weather. However, finally her vision began to adjust to the weather, and Thorn could see a small crack in a stone wall right outside of the clearing, next to a mountain side.

"Come on..." Jacob ordered, and Thorn watched as Jacob started to walk over to their shelter; then, she followed.

&*%

To the disappointment of both Jacob and Thorn, when they entered the cave, they found that it was very small; in fact, Jacob had to revert to human form in order to go inside, and even then, Jacob had to enter before her.

What was worse, there was barely any room, so...they were going to have to sleep huddled next to each other...

"Alright..." Jacob half growled. "Lay down..."

Not knowing what else to do, Thorn complied, and she sat down before she lied down on her side. Thorn tried to close her eyes, but before she could try to get herself to try and drift off to sleep, her eyes snapped wide open when she heard the sound of Jacob lying down next to her.

Jacob grunted as he tried to get comfortable. The cave was very small, and since Jacob didn't want his back to the wall; a wall where spiders or other venomous insects could crawl down and onto his back, Jacob scooted closer to Thorn, and once again, he could feel warmth rushing through his body as his stomach touched her back...

Jacob didn't understand this feeling that was coming over him, and he didn't like that. He wanted to know, but as he heard the pouring rain outside, he knew that he had to get some sleep. He would have to think about this feeling later...

&*%

The tiger babied its paw as it limped through the forest; with each step down on its injured paw, the beast was reduced to more of defeated and tamed creature; whimpering as it tried to journey on. With its injury, there was no way that it would be able to find food. It would have to wait until morning, especially in this weather.

Or would it?

As the tiger passed into a clearing, about to settle down, something caught its eyes, something that was motionless against a tree, and as the tiger got closer, it recognized it as a human. Looking down at the motionless bald man wearing all blood-red colored clothing, the beast licked its lips. An easy catch...

Opening its jaws, the tiger prepared to devour its find, however, as it prepared to bite down, the figure's eyes snapped open, and he shot his hands up, catching the tiger by its teeth. Then, jerking his hands up, a crack could be heard from the tiger, and as the man sat up, the tiger fell sideways to the ground, dead.

The rain dampening his body and clothes, Master scowled as he looked down at the lifeless beast. Then, Master's eyes travelled across the ground until his eyes caught sight of his sword...

&*%

Back in the cave, Jacob slowly opened his eyes, being pulled from the world of sleep as he could hear whimpering coming from his prisoner, as well as feeling her shaking body against his. She was cold.

"Thorn..." Jacob reacted quickly, and he wrapped his arms around her chest, pulling her closer to him. Once again, Jacob could feel that warmness shooting through his body, but he ignored it as he listened to the diminishing sounds of Thorn's whimpering.

Finally, once her whimpering had stopped, Thorn groaned and turned her head, trying to look at Jacob. "Thank you..." She managed.

"Don't mention it..." Jacob replied quickly; perhaps a little too quickly. Jacob realized his mistake, and as a result, he tried to lull himself back to sleep. However, his body refused to go back to the world of slumber, and Jacob felt like groaning.

Finally, he couldn't contain himself anymore. If he couldn't fall asleep, he would have to occupy his mind in another way: trying to strike up a conversation. "Thorn?" He asked.

There was a pause before Thorn managed to reply: "Yeah...?"

"You lied to me..." Jacob replied. "...When you said that there was nothing else for you to tell me..."

"...No I didn't..." Came Thorn's tired response.

"Oh, really?"

"Really..."

"Really?' Jacob shot back. "...Then why don't you tell me what your real name is? Surely, it can't be Thorn!"

Once again, there was a pause, and when she finally answered, it was quiet, but Jacob could hear it perfectly. "Rose..." She mumbled. "...My name's Rose..."

END CHAPTER

**A/N: So, another chapter is here! Yeah, I'm trying to get it done. So, please tell me what you think with a review!**


	17. Chapter 17

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Fifteen: The Island of Draco

"Thorn, wake up..." Jacob lightly shook his prisoner's shoulder. At first, Thorn did not stir, but after a couple more shakes, she groaned and slowly opened her eyes. "...We need to get going..." Jacob told her. "...I want to get as far as we can today..."

"Can't it wait?" Thorn asked, trying to roll back over to her side. Thorn then closed her eyes once more, but the next thing she knew, Jacob used his claws to grab her chin. With her eyes now wide open, Thorn was rolled onto her back so she could see Jacob's stern face.

"We're going..." He told her.

&*%

Thorn growled quietly as she followed Jacob out of the cave, both of them crawling on all fours. The rain had stopped, and once both were out and they both stood up straight, Jacob turned his head back so he could look at Thorn. "You stay here..." He told her. "...I'm going to fly up and see exactly where we are..."

Without waiting for Thorn to reply, Jacob transformed into his red dragon form, and then, flapping his wings, he flew up into the air. Jacob stopped once he hovered over the tree tops, and, putting his hand below his eyes, Jacob looked out into the sky, and almost immediately, he could see a large body of water. Lowering his hand, Jake squinted his eyes as he looked further, and sure enough, within seconds, he could see the outline of an island.

"Finally..." Jacob couldn't help but smile as he lowered back to the ground. Once he was back on the ground, he turned and faced Thorn. "I could see the island..." He said. "...If we hurry, we can probably make it to the island by night fall..."

&*%

Thorn tried her best to keep up with the red dragon as they both walked through the woods. Although she didn't think this would happen, she couldn't help but feel an amount of fear grip her heart. What would happen to her once she got to the Island of Draco? She had assumed she would be imprisoned, but as she got closer to that time, she couldn't help but be frightened.

A part of her wanted to believe that she had to take responsibility for her actions, and another part knew there was nothing to really fear; that she had been a prisoner her entire life, but another part of her couldn't help being terrified.

"Are you coming?" Jacob called from in front of her. Thorn did not feel like responding verbally; instead, she hurried up her pace, and then slowed back down when she reached his side. She didn't look at Jacob, and instead, she stared out to the end of the woods. "Not much longer now..." Jacob told her..."

&*%

Master scowled as he walked through the woods. His sword was in his left hand, and the tip of the blade was scraping against the dirt. Master took a deep and exhaled, looking around the forest. Almost immediately, he got the scent of a dragon. His scowl fading, Master smiled cruelly and he continued on.

&*%

"Alright, here we are..." Jacob said as he and Thorn stood at the edge of the island. Water rose up and splashed over Thorn's boots as Jacob, now in human form dropped his bag of supplies. Jacob reached into the sack, and to Thorn's surprise, she could see that Jacob pulled out a length of rope.

"I'm sorry, Thorn..." Jacob told her. "...But...I need to do this. Put your hands together..."

Thorn did not need to be told twice. Taking a step closer to Jacob, Thorn sighed and put her hands together, trying to turn her head and look at the water as Jacob bound her wrists. Before Thorn knew it, Jacob stepped away, and Thorn looked down to see that Jacob had completed his task.

"Alright..." He told her, turning around so that his back was to her. "...I want you to sling your arms over my neck..."

Thorn almost wanted to ask why, but she got that sense from Jacob that he didn't want to be asked questions. So, Thorn complied, and she put her arms over Jacob's neck. For Jacob, the second Thorn's hands touched his neck, he felt that warm feeling hit him again. Growling, Jacob ignored the feeling and in a bright light, transformed into his red dragon form yet again.

Thorn nearly gasped in surprise as she felt Jacob's body transform. However, for Thorn, just as quickly as it had begun, it ended.

Unbeknownst to the two, a rustling came from the clearing as Master stepped out of the woods. Taking another deep breath, Master smiled as he stared straight, looking right at his "apprentice" and the dragon. "I've got you two now..." Master said to himself as he raised the sword.

Then, shouting, Master took off running for the two, and he prepared to swing his sword, but when he was just a couple feet from the two, the red dragon started to flap his wings, and his feet left the ground.

Master forced himself to come to a screeching halt as he looked up, watching the dragon fly off with his "apprentice". Master scowled once again, and he looked down at the water. Taking his sword, Master brought it up to his mouth and bit down on the blade, and then started to walk into the water...

&*%

Thorn squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the wind blowing in her face. She could also hear Jacob's wings, as she was right in-between them. She had no idea how fast Jacob was flying, and a part of her was afraid to open her eyes.

However, just like Jacob's transformation, the flight ended rather quickly, as after only ten minutes in the air, Thorn could feel herself start to lower, which could only mean that Jacob was landing.

Within seconds, Thorn could feel her feet touching the ground, and she could feel her arms being lifted before they were dropped, and Thorn grunted lightly, opening her eyes as her bound hands hit her thighs.

Looking around, Thorn could see green grasses, and trees, as well as many dragons wandering around. After looking at her surroundings, Thorn turned her head and looked up at the still dragon Jacob. He nodded and smiled. "We're here..." He said. "...Your new home: the Island of Draco..."

END CHAPTER

**A/N: Well, they finally made it, which can only mean one thing: Rose will meet the Lords in the next chapter. DUN DUN DUN! **

**Well, please review and tell me what you thought about this chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Sixteen: Meeting the Lords

Thorn knew that all of the dragons on the island were staring at her as Jacob walked her down the grassy island; even as she tried to look away from the dragons and at her moving feet, Thorn knew that they were looking at her with hatred.

Unfortunately for Thorn, as they continued walking, the amount of dragons grew in size, and before Thorn knew it, there were rows of dragons on both sides of them, and Thorn started to have trouble trying to block their voices from her mind. "Alright..." Jacob said, apparently talking to the dragons. "...Move to the side..."

Thorn then felt herself being turned and walked through the crowd, the dragons stepping away. Once they were far away enough from the dragons, Thorn sighed silently with relief as she looked up from the ground, only to have her heart sink as she saw a large building. "That's where the Lords are..." Jacob told her, apparently reading her mind.

If Thorn's heart didn't already feel like it was falling down into her stomach, it did now. However, before Jacob could walk her any further, Jacob stopped and turned at the sound of a voice: "Jacob!"

Thorn slowly turned her head, watching as Jacob greeted a blue dragon, with a white beard. "Jacob, you're back!" The blue dragon seemed happy.

"I did it, G!" Jacob exclaimed, a small smile on his face.

The old, blue dragon slowly turned his attention from Jacob at these words, and his happy smile faded as he looked at Thorn. "Hmm..." He said. "...So, this is the dreaded Thorn? Was she hard to capture?"

"Not at all..." Jacob told him, and Thorn tried her best to hide the scowl that wanted to spread across her face.

"Well..." The blue dragon told Jacob, looking back at him from Thorn. "...The Lords will be very happy to hear that you have completed your mission. I'm sure that they will want to see you immediately. I will alert them to your arrival."

"Thank you, G..." Jacob said as the blue dragon turned and walked over to the building. "...We will be waiting out here..."

&*%

Thorn did not know how long the blue dragon had been inside the building, and she also did not know how long she and Jacob had been waiting. She was now leaning her back against the wall of the building as she looked down at the grass. Right next to her, Jacob was standing straight on his feet, inspecting his claws.

After what felt like another hour, the doors finally opened, and the blue dragon poked his head out. Looking directly at Jacob, he said; "Bring her in..."

The pounding of Thorn's heart resumed as Jacob took her by the shoulders and led her into the building. As Thorn passed through the doors, she could see that there were three Lords: two of them were male, and the third was female. All three of them were in dragon form; the female was a magenta colored dragon, one male was purple, and the other was violet colored dragon with grey facial hair.

"Well done, Squire Long..." the purple dragon said as Jacob stopped Thorn, released her shoulders, and stood right next to her. "...You have earned the title of a Dragon Knight..."

"But first..." the male dragon with the grey facial hair added. "...We must take care of the prisoner..."

"Do you have anything to say in your defense, Thorn?" the purple dragon asked.

Thorn wanted to say something in her defense; to tell the Lords everything that was true, everything that she had told Jacob. Unfortunately, as soon as Thorn opened her mouth, she found that she could not form words. She could not bring herself to say anything. Slowly closing her mouth, Thorn lowered her head.

"I'm not surprised..." the female dragon growled. "...She's guilty, and she deserves no mercy! I say we throw her a cell to rot for the rest of her miserable life!"

"Patience, Chang..." the purple dragon told her in a calm voice. "...We will have to discuss this properly. Dragon Knight Long, you can go now..."

&*%

Jacob took a deep breath of fresh air as he stepped out of the building. It felt good to finally get back, and it felt even better to have achieved his goal of becoming a Dragon Knight. It felt good to not be a Squire anymore, but before he could get far enough from the building, the doors opened once again.

Jacob stopped and turned around, now able to see Lords Chang and Kulde holding onto Thorn as they led her across the grass. Jacob stepped back as Thorn was led passed him, and Jacob watched, until he felt another's presence beside him. Turning around, he could see that it was his grandfather.

"That was fast..." Jacob said.

"She had nothing to say..." Lao-Shi replied. "...She never opened her mouth. It's like she knows what she did was wrong..."

"What's her punishment?" Jacob asked.

"Imprisonment..." Lao-Shi told him. "...Life..."

Hearing these words, Jacob turned his head from his grandfather and returned his attention to Thorn being led away. He could feel his joy of having achieved his goal fading, and to his surprise, he felt a feeling in his chest that he only felt on rare occasions.

Although Jacob did not know why, he was feeling...sympathy...for his prisoner.

&*%

Thorn kept her eyes on the ground as the Lords continued to march her across the island. However, to Thorn's shock, she heard a thud sound under her boot, and to her surprise, there was a small fraction where the grass was cut away, revealing a wooden trap door.

Thorn looked down at the wooden door with curiosity, but she suddenly grunted as she felt herself being jerked off of the trap door. As the male dragon geld her tightly, the female dragon, Chang, bent down and put her index claw in the lock of the padlock. A clicking sound could be heard as Chang turned her claw, and the next thing Thorn knew, Chang pulled open the door.

Now realizing that this was to be her prison, Thorn could feel her heart rate speeding up, and she looked at Chang as she took her shoulder again, only to see that the female Lord was grinning cruelly. The two Lords then forced her down into the dark tunnel, and Thorn found herself walking down a flight of steep stairs.

After what felt like an eternity, the three finally reached the bottom of the stairs, and before Thorn could try and catch her breath, the Lords yanked her onward. This time, the walk down the dark tunnel was not long, and before Thorn knew it, the Lords were holding her in front of rusty set of bars that were not wide enough to slip through, but were wide enough to allow Thorn to peek into the small cell.

Chang once again released Thorn's shoulder, and once again, she used her claw to unlock the bars. Chang quickly slid them open before she strode back over to Thorn, using her claws to quickly slice her bonds.

Before Thorn could get a chance to get any feeling back into her wrists, she grunted as the male dragon pushed her into the cell. Thorn grunted yet again as she stumbled into the cell and fell to her knees.

"Welcome to your new home, Thorn..." Chang grinned as Thorn turned her head to look at the two Dragon Lords.

END CHAPTER

**A/N: Well, here it is. Please review!**


	19. Chapter 19

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Seventeen: Trouble

Jacob sighed as he walked down the green grass of the island. There was no doubt in his mind that he felt sorry for Thorn. While he had hated her with almost all his heart when he first captured her, the more time he spent with her, and the more he learned about her, the harder it felt for him to hate her.

&*%

Thorn sat against the wall in her new cell. Looking around the dark and damp cell, Thorn couldn't help but feel frightened. This was what was to become of her: a life in prison.

Now feeling a heavy feeling in her chest, and feeling a shortness of breath, Thorn started to wish that there was someone outside the bars speaking words of comfort to her. The only problem was that there was no one who would care that she felt this way. Every dragon on this island would most likely want to pitch in and make her first. All except for maybe Jacob...

Jacob...

Jacob understood her. Or, at least she thought he did. In any case, just thinking of his name was enough to ease her racing her heart and steady her breathing. His name alone was enough to make her feel more relaxed.

&*%

As Jacob continued walking down the island, he let his mind wander to the last day or two before they arrived at the Island of Draco. He had taught her how to fight and defend herself, not that it would matter much. Still, that night, he could tell by the look on her face that she was having fun.

Then, after she had actually used the skills he had taught her, she had hugged him. What surprised him even more than the hug was the way he felt about it. Jacob couldn't explain it, but the hug sent a kind of warm sensation coursing through his body. While he was still traveling with her, he tried to keep his mind off of that fact, even after he had sensed the same feeling twice more.

Now that he was free of Thorn, it was all Jacob could think of. He had never experienced a feeling like it before, and he was not sure what it meant. As Jacob continued walking, he started to think about the possible meanings, but still, he could not think of anything.

Then, just as Jacob came to a stop, and he was about to turn around and go back to his grandfather, it hit him, but it also made him nervous. Did he...love her?

No, that wasn't possible. He couldn't love her. He had no reason to. And yet, he couldn't deny that feeling he got whenever their bodies even brushed up together. When his mind wandered back to the moment when she hugged him, it made his heart skip a beat.

Jacob froze in his tracks. He...loved her? He loved a dragon murderer? He loved his former prisoner?

Growling with frustration and grabbing his hair with his hands, Jacob turned around and walked back to the edge of the island, kicking at the grass with his feet. He couldn't love her! It was wrong! And yet, it was the only explanation that he could come up with.

Just as Jacob started to get closer to the edge, Jacob suddenly came to an abrupt stop, and his mind went blank as he saw a hand reach up from below. Jacob stepped back, his wide eyes as he started to watch the bald head and the rest of the body of Thorn's master start to appear over the edge, climbing up onto the island.

"No..." Jacob gasped. "...It's not possible..."

END CHAPTER

**A/N: After a fairly long wait, it's finally here, and it's very short. Don't worry, though. The next chapter will be MUCH longer. So, please review...**


	20. Chapter 20

Dragons of Chivalry

Chapter Eighteen: Battle

Jacob's eyes were wide with disbelief and fear as he watched Thorn's master slowly climbing onto the island. "No..." Jacob gasped. "...It can't be..." Then, the new Dragon Knight turned, and ran. Jacob ran until he reached the door to the main hall, which he pushed open and ran in. Out of breath, Jacob grabbed his knees and bent over, trying to catch his breath as Lord Andam, Lord Kulde and Lord Chang just stared at him.

"What's the matter, Dragon Knight?" Andam asked.

As soon as Jacob had caught his breath, he managed to make out: "We...we have a problem. There...there is a man here. Don't ask why, but I know...I know he's...he's looking for Thorn..."

"Why should we care?" Chang growled. "The so-called man will never be able to find her in her cell! I assure you, Dragon Knight, you have nothing to worry about..."

"Now, now, Chang..." Andam countered. "...Dragon Knight Long is correct. Dragon Knight Long, what have you learned from your travels with the prisoner. Are there other slayers?"

"Yes..." Jacob replied. "...I encountered the man on my way here. I know he's going to break her out..." Jacob knew that Thorn's master wasn't going to rescue her. That seemed pretty obvious after he tried to kill her in the woods. He had to protect her, but he couldn't let the Lords know that.

"Well, what do you suggest we do, Dragon Knight Long?" Andam asked.

&*%

Thorn took a deep breath as she continued to think about her travels with Jacob; about how she had hated him at first, and then, after he had given her food, she didn't know what to think. She had continued to not know what to think of him, and she still was not entirely sure. Thorn thought that she could argue with herself, that Jacob was perhaps the closest thing to a friend she had ever had.

Suddenly, Thorn was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps coming toward her cell, and they sounded fast. The next thing Thorn knew, Jacob, and the three Dragon Lords were standing right outside her cell, Jacob holding his sword. "Jacob!" Thorn exclaimed in surprise, trying her best to hide her happiness. "Wh...What are you doing here?"

"I saw your master..." Jacob answered, taking the keys and putting them into the lock to the cell door. "...No doubt he's coming for you..."

As Jacob slid open the cell door, Thorn's eyes widened in fear. "N...No...It can't be!" She tried to tell him--to tell herself. "He's dead! You took care of him!"

"He's alive..." Jacob told her. "...And it's only reasonable to believe that he's here for you..."

&*%

Clutching his sword tightly, Master quickly strode across the island, shoving passed any dragons he came across. Normally, he would slay them, but at the moment, he had to find his apprentice...and silence her. The dragons, on the other hand, only shouted angrily at the hunter, but did not start any conflict with him.

Finally, Master found his way to the Main Hall. Master quickly pushed open the two large doors, and he strode inside, seeing three dragons sitting at a large table, one purple male, one violet male, and one magenta female.

The purple dragon simply stared at Master for a moment before he opened his mouth: "Aw..." He said. "...You must be Thorn's instructor. Yes...She's told us everything..."

Growling, Master quickly strode over to the table, and with a grunt of exertion , he thrust the tip of his sword to the purple dragon's neck. Surprisingly, the purple dragon did not seem surprise, and as the two other dragon started to move into action, the purple dragon held his claws up, stopping them. "Now, now..." He said calmly.

"Where is Thorn?" Master growled dangerously.

"Now, now..." the purple dragon repeated. "...There is no need for unnecessary violence. We'd be more than happy to tell you where she is. She's down in the prison. Just go in there and look into all of the cells. You should be able to find her. We won't stop you...We'd much rather have one escaped prisoner than several lives lost..."

&*%

It wasn't long after Master left the Main Hall, with the purple dragon as his prisoner, that he found the way to the dungeon. Every dragon outside the Master passed by outside gasped when they saw one of their lords lead a hunter toward the dungeon with a sword to his back. However, no dragon did anything, for if they took so much as a step toward their lord to help him, Master grinned as he pressed the tip of the sword further into the lord's back.

"Now, now..." The purple dragon repeated, stopping in front of a trap door. "...Remember that there is no need to unnecessary violence. She's down there..." The dragon pointed at the door. Master looked at the trap door as the purple dragon bent down and pulled it open, revealing a stairway.

Master looked up from the stairway and scowled at the purple dragon. "Get lost..." He growled, throwing him to the ground. "...Just know that next time, you'll be a skin to hang up on my wall..." Then, Master quickly started to descend down the stairs.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he gripped his sword tightly, walking down the halls, looking in to each of the cells through the bars, until he finally saw her. Her back was to him, and she was crouched on her knees in her cell, whimpers and muffled sobs ringing out through the cell.

Smiling cruelly, Master took his sword, and with a grunt, her slammed the blade into the bars twice, making a hole in the bars large enough for him to step in through. As he got closer to Thorn, he could hear her crying stop, and instead, she spoke: "You've been looking for me? Good. Because I've been waiting for you..."

Then, to Master's surprise, Thorn got to her feet and turned around, holding a sword in her hand. Although shocked at first, Master laughed once he realized how serious the girl looked with the sword...despite being no serious threat. "Please, Thorn..." Master laughed. "...You are no threat to me. I trained you...to be a sneak attacker! Nothing else! You can't fight! You don't know how to use that thing proper--"

However, Master stopped in his tracks as Thorn swung the sword at him before she jumped up, flipping over him. Shocked, Master managed to turn around, just as Thorn swung the sword at him again. This time, Master was prepared, and he managed to block her blade with his. Thorn quickly pulled away and she tried to step forward, aiming her blade for her master's stomach. However, Master was once again prepared, and he blacked her blade.

Their sword blades clashing, both opponents made their way out of the cell, each trying to both avoid their opponent's blade and to hit them. Once out of the cell, Master tried to swing his sword, aiming to decapitate Thorn. However, Thorn managed to duck, and her master's sword made a swooping sound as it missed her; acting quickly, Thorn brought her foot up and made contact with her master's stomach.

As Master grunted and doubled over, Thorn turned and ran, panting by the time she arrived at the stairs. Panting, Thorn started to run up the stairs, only to gasp in surprise as she felt a rushed of wind above her head, and the next thing she knew, Master landed right on the stair above her, and he swung his sword.

Reacting quickly, Thorn blocked his blow with her sword, but in the process, she tipped backwards. Gasping again, Thorn managed to step down on the previous step, steadying herself. However, with this distraction, Master aimed the tip of his sword for her chest. He attempted to jab the blade into her chest, but Thorn reacted quickly, and the two blades connected with a loud clang.

The battle continued as Thorn and her master exited the prison halls, stepping out onto the grass, amidst several dragons, who all stared in shock. Both Thorn and her master ignored the dragons as they focused on trying to end the life of their opponent. As Thorn's sword repeatedly made contact with her master's, she managed to back him up, until they were at the edge of the island, her master's back to a good hundred feet of a fall.

Thorn could tell that her master was getting angry with the fact that their battle was still going on, and Thorn was still alive. This became even more clear when her master's attacks became more persistent, brutal, and sloppier.

As Thorn recognized this, her first thought was to be frightened. This was getting even more dangerous than it had been before. Then, her second thought was to calm down and be more focused than her master was. Focus and keep her mind on both of their weapons...

Then, Thorn could see Master pull his sword away from hers after a very sloppy attack, and he raised his sword over his head before he sloppily tried to bring it down, where it would split her face open. Quickly seeing her chance, Thorn swung her sword upward as Master brought it downward, a loud clang ringing in her ears as the blades made contact with each other, Master's sword flying from his grip and went over the cliff...

&*%

...A whistling sound could be heard as the sword spun as it fell from the island, on a collision course with a lone rock in the water that was a couple inches away from the foot of the island. Finally, the tip of the handle hit the rock, getting lodged in a small hole on the rock's surface. Now, the sword was stuck in an upright angle, the tip of the blade pointing up to the sky.

&*%

Back on the island, Master's eyes were wide as he watched the sword fall, but his wide eyes only grew as he turned back to face Thorn, her sword tip pressed against his chest. "Get off this island, Master..." She told him fiercely. "...I don't care if you get caught or not, but it's not my decision. But you can still escape. Just let me stay here..."

"THORN!"

From behind, Thorn could hear the sound of Jacob's voice, and glancing back, she could see Jacob rushing toward her, followed by the three Lords.

However, this turned out to be a mistake made by Thorn, for Master quickly saw his chance for defeating the girl. Grinning evilly, Master reached out and grabbed her sword, trying to pull it away from her. However, Thorn's grip was so strong on the sword, and she was so surprised that she fell forward, hitting Master's chest to the point where he lost his balance, and they both tumbled over the cliff. "THORN!" Jacob shouted again, and before any of the lords could react, Jacob transformed into his dragon form, and he flew over the ledge, diving downwards.

To Jacob, Thorn seemed to be falling in slow motion, and he was flying in slow motion, as well. Thorn's master, on the other hand, had gravity against him, and within the blink of an eye, he landed on his sword, the blade ripping out of his chest as he hit the stone, his head smacking against the hard surface with a sickening thud that even Jacob could hear, as blood pooled beneath his motionless body.

Thorn was not far behind her master, and she was heading right for the same destination. If she landed, the sword would completely run her through. If Jacob could do anything to stop that from happening, he would. Flapping his wings harder and faster than he had ever flapped them before, Jacob could feel himself going faster, and as he held his breath as he extended his arms, coming up onto Thorn.

Then, the next thing Jacob knew, he had stopped, and Thorn was in his grasp. He had stopped her fall just as her back was a mere few inches from the blade. Her eyes wide, Thorn turned her head and she looked down at her master's lifeless form. "J...Jacob..." She breathed with relief.

Jacob smiled down at her, but his smile soon faded. He knew that there was still something he had to do. Something he had to do for her. He couldn't let her spend the rest of her life in prison. In the blink of an eye, Jacob turned and dived to the side, Thorn shouting in shock as Jacob dived them both into the water.

When Jacob and Thorn resurfaced a few seconds later, Thorn coughed out water, and her eyes blazed with annoyance. "What are you doing?!"

"Shh..." Jacob quickly hushed her, and flapping his wings, he flew them both out of the water. Turning around, Jacob flew over to the wall of the island, before setting her down on the stones and pebbles, water rushing up and splashing her ankles and feet. "...Stay here..." Jacob told her, and then, he flew back up.

&*%

Jacob landed back on the island, being greeted by the three lords. "Dragon Knight Long..." Lord Chang demanded. "...Where's Thorn?"

Jacob stared at the three lords briefly before he took in a deep breath. Then, he answered: "I didn't make it in time. She went under the waves. She's dead..."

END CHAPTER

**A/N: So, guess what? There's only one chapter left, and I plan to put it up tomorrow night. So...please review!**


	21. Chapter 21

Dragons of Chivalry

Epilogue

Thorn was sitting in the dark in the cave that Jacob had created with his fire blast. Thanks to Jake's fire, the cave wasn't as dark as it could have been, but Thorn still wished that it could be lighter. Thorn sighed as she turned her head and looked out of the cave, staring at the water beside her new home. Jacob had promised her that he would come see her, but it had been much longer than she had anticipated, and now, she was beginning to lose hope that he would be coming.

Sighing again, Thorn returned her gaze to the inside of the cave, and she looked down at her legs. Then, just as she thought that she was going to be alone for a long time, her eyes widened and she turned her head to the side, seeing a red dragon landing in the cave. "Jacob!" Thorn smiled unconsciously, and without even knowing what she was doing, she ran up to the dragon and wrapped her arms around him. Jacob staggered back as she hugged him, and as an "uhh..." left his mouth, Thorn's eyes widened, and she realized what she was doing, and she dropped her arms, stepping away from him.

"Sorry..." Thorn told him. "...I thought you wouldn't be coming..."

To Thorn's surprise, Jacob simply smiled as he reverted to his human form. "It's fine..." He told her, and as Thorn looked down, she could see that he was holding the ends of his tunic up; in his tunic, were various pieces of food. "...I told you that I would be coming..."

Thorn's eyes widened as she saw the food, and as Jacob kneeled down and safely placed the food items onto the cave floor, he looked up and smiled at her. Then, Thorn's eyes wide, she lowered herself to Jacob's level, and she slowly reached out and tried to grab some of the food, only to gasp as Jacob grabbed both of her wrists, stooping her.

"Thorn..." He told her. "...Please, just listen to me. I wouldn't eat so quickly if I were you. I don't know how many times a day I'm going to be able to sneak you some. There might even be some days where I won't be able to bring you any at all..."

As she heard these words, Thorn's longing gaze faded, and was instead replaced with a look of anger. "Then why didn't you just take me back to the Lords?" She demanded. "At least in prison, I'd get enough food to survive!"

"I was trying to help..."

"Really?" Thorn continued. "This is a funny way of helping. This is prison, Jacob! I'm just as trapped, and I'm just as alone..."

"No, you're not letting me finish, Rose..." _Rose_. He had called her, for the first ever time, by her actual name. And as Jacob held on tighter to her wrists, Thorn's angry look slowly faded, being replaced with a wide-eyed look yet again. "...I want to help you..."

"How?" Thorn asked quietly.

"...I want to get you away from this island..." Jacob answered her calmly. "...I want to help you find a good place to live...where you'll be happy..."

END

**A/N: No, it's not really. As you can see, there's room for a sequel. Unfortunately, with "What A Wonderful Alternate World" and "American Dragon: Haley Long" to work on, I'm pretty busy. So, you probably won't be seeing the sequel until after I'm done with "What A Wonderful Alternate World". **

**In the meantime, would you like to hear the story line of the sequel? Well, since I'm fairly sure you'll want to, hear it is: **

**As Jacob and Thorn start to plan Thorn's escape, The Dark Dragon sets his eyes on Jacob. Never having heard about The Dark Dragon, will Jacob fall for the evil dragon's trap? With the new enemy, will Thorn be able to escape the island? **

**So, sound nice and original? **


End file.
